Joe Schloss, who  operated a North Park sporting goods business for 69 years and coached the same Little League team for 59 seasons, passed away  at age 88.
Schloss, a 1944 graduate of San Diego High, coached a legion of youngsters for the North Park Little League and both of his sons spent many years in sports.
“Joe instilled in us many of the values we carry today,” said Bob Cluck, a professional baseball lifer and 10-season major league coach who played on Schloss’ first North Park LL team in 1957 (Schloss also had coached a Jewish Community Center team for three seasons).
“He taught us ‘way more than baseball,” said Cluck.  “He taught us how to act and how to compete.”
Rick Schloss was a public relations representative for the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos and has been a prominent sports public relations practitioner in San  Diego for the last 30 years.
Gregg Schloss was a member of the Chargers’ athletic training department and worked side-by-side with his father at  A & B Sporting Goods, located near the corner of 30th Street and University Avenue.
MARONE, WILLIAMSON, MARTINEZ
All graduated from high school in 1963.
LOU MARONE
Lincoln’s  flame-throwing lefthanded pitcher, Marone was all-Eastern League and one of the aces in a circuit that was turning out professional players every season.
Lou went on to San Diego City College and then helped coach Ed San Clemente start the Mesa College program.  He was signed out of Mesa by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1965.
Marone had a 2.55 earned run average and 2-1 record  out of the bullpen in 34 innings for the Pirates in 1969 and was with the team in 1970.
JOHN WILLIAMSON
A 6-foot, 7-inch center who scored 351 points points for the  23-6 Mission Bay Buccaneers  in 1962-63.
Williamson was a strong offensive presence as he  and his teammates reached the semifinals of the San  Diego Section basketball playoffs before bowing to eventual champion Crawford, 48-44.
KENNY MARTINEZ
Starred in football and baseball at Point Loma and played for coach Ed San Clemente at San Diego City College.
I remember Kenny Martinez and the 1962 Point Loma football team. Back then the city high schools were three year schools and I just entered 10th grade. Bennie Edens had a very good football team that had the misfortune to come up empty against Clairemont during an 8-1 season where only the league winner progressed to the CIF playoffs. Point Loma easily beat Chick Embry’s Escondido club (35-6 I think) that won the championship that year and also Hoover (14-13) who won the Eastern League.
Martinez shared time at running back with Bob Falar who was also a fine baseball player as well.
Kenny was a delightful guy and a fine athlete. Although he moved to Orange County, I would see him almost every year at one of Kenny Alameda’s Christmas functions. Point Loma probably would have won the San Diego Section in 1962, but Clairemont, 1-3 to start the season, got hot in Western League play. Clairemont was a decidedly average team, but Bill Casey was an excellent quarterback and they surprised Point Loma, which had hammered Escondido, 35-6, in the opener and finished with a 7-1 record, compared to Clairemont’s 6-4.