Mandell Father and Son, as Seen Through a Sporting Prism

He also hosts in-house concerts at 8 nearly every weekend of the year at his Boulevard Music store, 4316 Sepulveda Blvd. (310.398.2583) — including Saturday night.

Soothing Summer Season

Talk about relaxing, though.

This is the most restful period Mr. Mandell has enjoyed in years.

Mom, dad and son-the-baseball-player recently drove north 400 miles for a special Wednesday-through-Sunday outing at the Stanford University Baseball Camp.

Pitcher Zack Mandell, who will be a senior at Venice High School in September, joined 386 teenagers from around the country who were invited to the camp.

Both his mom, Kathy, and his dad caught every pitch Zack threw, every ball he fielded, and ever swing he took.

One Man’s Love Affair

Much as he knows about the inner, inner world of music and how to promote entertainment, Mr. Mandell is a devout lifelong baseball fan.

“I saw a lot of baseball when we were at Stanford,” said the aficionado of the pure art of the game. “I just like to watch baseball games. I don’t care who is playing. I like to see high school baseball. It’s very exciting, to me. At least as exciting as watching two major league teams I am not aware of.”

Baseball is a Mandell family thing.

Good thing, too, because Zack is heavily into the sport, and the trip to Palo Alto gave dad and son important bonding time.

Even if Zack never did stray an inch away from his headphones or his laptop during the family’s hours’ long drive.

Generation to Generation

Gary Mandell inherited his passion for the game from his 88-year-old father, who retired after teaching for 42 years in LAUSD. Among his students were Jim Lefebvre, a Dodger second baseman in the 1960s, and Culver City High School Coach Nick Prieto.

Zack Mandell, the No.1 starting pitcher and part-time first baseman on the Venice team, has made baseball a central focus of his life during his high school years.

The Future? That’s Different

But, says his dad, he has no illusions about mounting a career in baseball. He will forge his living a slightly different way.

“Zack just likes playing baseball,” Mr. Mandell said. “But he doesn’t have aspirations to play in the big leagues. If he got into UCLA and couldn’t play baseball, that would be fine with him.”

The Whole Menu

Nonetheless, baseball is today’s subject. Zack’s parents watched watched and he played all the baseball three people could digest during the four-day Stanford camp.

Doesn’t that sound like a nearly perfect family holiday?

Zack, you may have gathered, is presently in serious pursuit of baseball. He practices regularly, he plays games throughout the week, and he has a private trainer.

Perched on a stool at Boulevard Music during a break in his teaching schedule, Mr. Mandell talked about Zack without bragging. “Zack is like lots of kids these days who have their own instructors,” he said.

A-1, a-2, a-3

The promoter still was diligently trying to preserve his record of never having missed a chance to pun.

“The guy Zack works with used to be at UCLA,” Mr. Mandell said. “His name is Mitch Miller. He teaches kids to follow the bouncing ball,” the way the noted goateed musical conductor did on weekly television in the 1960s.

Scouting Missions

Turning to the Stanford camp, scouts were in the stands for every practice and every game, and that motivated the young men on the field.

“The players would start the day with conditioning,” Mr. Mandell said. “Then they would go off in separate directions, depending on the positions they played. There was plenty of infield practice. And they had pitching machines. Everyone was taken care of.

Times Together

“The Stanford campus is so beautiful. And of course there were games every day. You get to meet kids from all over and form teams. They formed 24 teams, and they played on four different fields.”

Dad and son have had their times together during Zach’s high school years, “but probably not as much as a lot of fathers and sons because of my schedule,” Mr. Mandell said.

“I do what I can, though, and I always go to Zack’s games.”

The Frequency Game

Playing frequency can be a touchy subject. Teenager pitchers who play baseball year-around are susceptible to arm injuries, a subject to which Mr. Mandell has given serious thought. “When you play a lot, you have to be aware of pitch counts, and the kind of balls they are throwing. You don’t want them throwing a lot of curveballs and sliders that can hurt their arms.”

Zack Mandell plays baseball about two-thirds of the year.

The Monitor Man

Concerned dad that he is, Mr. Mandell said “oh yeah” when he was asked if he tracks Zack’s pitch count. “He knows what kind of pitches he should throw. He had one experience where he was out for 5 or 6 weeks. He knows not to overextend himself.”

Zack and Gary Mandell may have common interests, but they are not twins in their passions.

Zack is not the music maven his father is, but he does know what he wants to do with his life.

“Zack wants to be a sports agent,” Mr. Mandell said.

“He wants to be involved in sports. But I have cautioned him that this doesn’t mean hanging out with baseball players all day long. You are an attorney, and you are writing contracts.”

Agentry, however, can wait.

For now, all of the Mandells are preparing for Sunday’s championship game at Dodger Stadium.

On the Flip Side

When Mr. Mandell is not doing baseball, he is immersed in his beloved music of many genres.

Besides devoting his time this summer to redesigning Boulevard Music’s website and overseeing construction projects, he maintains a full round of weekend concerts — mostly on Saturday nights — in his store near Culver Boulevard.

Boulevard Music schedule for the 8 p.m. concerts for the next two months:

Saturday, Sept. 28 — Adam Del Monte, one of the leading flamenco guitarists in the world.

www.boulevardmusic.com