The ink was barely dry on Todd Stephenson's master's degree in parks, recreation and tourism management from N.C. State when he showed up, freshly scrubbed and shirt neatly tucked, ready for his new job as assistant general manager of the Sarasota Red Sox in the Florida State League back in January of 1999.

Trouble was there was no general manager to assist. The general manager had fallen ill and the Boston Red Sox, which owned the team, needed a replacement. Fast.

"It was about 10 in the morning," Stephenson said. "They asked me when can you start? I said 'After lunch would be nice.'"

After that sling-shot career launch Stephenson, 40, has been a Red Sox man since. He ran the Sarasota Sox until Boston sold the team in 2004 and has been in charge of Boston's spring training facility in Fort Myers since 2003.

Now, with Salem Red Sox general manager John Katz leaving the fold, Boston has again asked Stephenson to step in as general manager.

"It's a great opportunity for me to advance career-wise," Stephenson said.

Tim Zue, managing director of the Salem Red Sox and vice president of Fenway Sports Group, said Stephenson's familiarity and "proven track record of success" within the organization gave him the edge in getting the job.

"But even if Todd hadn't been the in-house candidate, his background and experience and how he approaches the job, his commitment to the fans, to service, to excellence would have made him the perfect choice," Zue said.

Katz, who is leaving Salem after serving as general manager for four seasons under three sets of owners and two major league affiliates to become the president of the Savannah (Ga.) Sand Gnats., called it a "great move."

"I remain convinced, maybe even more convinced now they they've picked Todd, that the best days of this franchise are well out in front of us," Katz said. "And I can still say 'us' because I'm still here."

Katz takes over the Sand Gnats officially next Thursday, and Stephenson said he has been "taking GM 101" from Katz while he has the chance.

Jeremy Auker, assistant general manager and director of group sales, and Scott Burton, director of food and beverage service, will also be heading to Savannah to work for the Sand Gnats.

Both Auker and Burton have been with the Salem club for four years. Burton will stay in Salem an extra month to manage next month's wine festival at the ballpark before heading South.

Katz cited Stephenson's experience at both the minor- and major-league levels as "a bridge you don't often get. He knows what works at the minor-league level and what doesn't, plus he has that major-league exposure. ...

"Aside from that, he's a nice guy and that makes it even better."

Stephenson has served as a consultant for Fenway Sports Group in Salem since the Boston Red Sox's sister company bought the Salem franchise after the 2007 season. He visited the ballpark several times and Katz said Stephenson's familiarity with the remaining staff and the facility will help with the transition.

Still, Stephenson will be travelling between Salem and Fort Myers, where he will be helping with the transition of the spring training operation to a new director. He said his wife, Dawn, daughter Kenidy, 8, and son, Cade, 6, have not yet decided when to make the move from Florida to Salem, possibly during the holiday break in school.

Stephenson, a native of Garner, N.C., said his plan for Salem is to "see what works and what doesn't work, and do more of what works."

The Red Sox, which changed the name of the franchise from Avalanche to Red Sox this season to coincide with becoming an on-field affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, drew 231,186 fans in 2009. The average of 3,451 per game was a slight increase of 0.97 percent over 2008's average of 3,418.

"In a down economy, we're proud of that," Zue said.

Zue said that an official decision had not yet been made, but both he and Stephenson said they expect the tarps covering roughly 1,000 general admission seats will remain in place next season, cutting stadium capacity to 4,968 with 1,940 general admission seats. Zue said he thinks the tarps "enhance the experience ... aesthetically."

Also, Zue said since average attendance was "still well-below the reduced capacity" he did not think the tarps would be removed.

Zue said season ticket prices, some of which were lowered for the 2009 season, will go back up to the 2008 levels for 2010. Current season ticket holders can avoid the price bump by renewing before the end of 2009.

Single game general admission tickets will go up 50 cents to $7.50, while reserved seats will remain $8 and box seats will stay $9, Zue said.