PAWTUCKET — Among Ben Mondor’s favorite philosophers is the great sage Joseph Michael Morgan, former manager of the Pawtucket — as well as Boston — Red Sox, who, in addition to coining the enigmatic mantra "six, two, and even," often told Mondor: "There’s always something new in baseball."

"He was right," Mondor said the other day in his office at McCoy Stadium. "Every season, there’s something new. And now a new season is here."

You’d think, at the age of 84, and after 32 seasons as owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox, Mondor had seen just about everything — including the longest game in baseball history (33 innings, in 1981), a perfect game (Tomo Okha, 2000), the magical night in 1982 when nearly 9,400 fans crammed into the park when seating capacity was less than 7,000 to see Mark “Bird” Fidrych pitch against Dave Righetti.

He’s seen an array of major leaguers, including the likes of Roger Clemens, Manny Ramirez, Curt Schilling and David Ortiz sent down to Pawtucket for rehab assignments, and countless young stars on their way up to Boston — from Wade Boggs, Mike Greenwell and Mo Vaughn through Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester and Jonathan Papelbon.

But as the old saying — not, in this case, Morgan’s — goes: You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

The PawSox, as they have for more than three decades, will continue to try to improve what already is the best operation in minor-league baseball.

"This will be our 33rd year with the same major-league alliance (Boston), in the same park (McCoy), with pretty much the same staff," Mondor said. "That's pretty good."

Mike Tamburro, the club president, has been with Ben since the beginning. Lou Schwechheimer, the general manager, arrived two years later, in 1979. Personable public relations V.P. Bill Wanless came aboard in 1985, the same year as Mick Tedesco, the VP of stadium operations. Michael Gwynn, who’s in charge of sales and marketing, has been around for nearly 20 years.

The reason they’ve all stuck around so long is Mondor.

To understand why, listen to the story Schwechheimer has told about the night the pipes burst at McCoy.

"One night, after a game, after the players all had gone home, the pipes burst in the clubhouse," he said. "The water was 2 to 3 feet deep.

"Mike (Tamburro) and I grabbed uniforms out of the lockers and loaded them into our cars. We took them to an all-night laundromat on Armistice Boulevard. We got them all washed and dried about 4 o'clock in the morning and, on the ride back to the stadium, I said to Mike: 'I've still got to get the stats done.' "

That was in 1980, when Schwechheimer was handling public relations for the ballclub.

"When we got back," he said, "the fire department had pumped out the clubhouse, so I went into the office and there, sitting at my typewriter, was Ben. The statistics were all done.

"He looked at me, smiled, and said: 'Lou, you don’t have to check the math — they’re all accurate. Now let’s go to breakfast.'

"That’s the kind of camaraderie, the kind of work ethic that Ben inspires. There was the guy at the top, knowing I’d have to come back and do the stats, sitting at my typewriter. Ben taught me a lesson that night I'll never forget about responsibility, and about loyalty. He could have gone home. But he wouldn’t leave until he knew I was okay. We'd all leave together, or none of us would leave."

Because Mondor and the PawSox’ management team care the same way about their fans, people pack McCoy Stadium on summer evenings.

Even though times are tough, that’s expected to continue this year because Mondor is more determined than ever that fans have a good time when they come to see the PawSox.

Tamburro, who was with Mondor when he bought a bankrupt franchise with sagging attendance and a crumbling ballpark back in 1977, said the team’s business plan will be what it’s always been.

"A lot of entertainment venues these days are trying to make themselves affordable with different gimmicks and promotions," he said. "But we’re using the same formula we’ve used for 33 years — a pleasant family outing at the lowest possible price. Our ticket prices are the same as last year. Our concession prices are the same. Parking is still free. That system has worked in good times, it’s worked in recessions, it’ll work now."

If Harvard Business School ever does a case study on the workings of a model franchise for minor-league baseball, the students need only take the short trip down I-95 to Pawtucket.

Many former players look back on their time in Pawtucket as among the best experiences — in some cases, the best — they had in professional baseball.

Just the other day, Mondor received a letter from Kevin Kane, who pitched for the PawSox in 1984 and '85 but never made it to the majors. Kane now lives in Hilo, Hawaii, but he took the time to send along kind words and a box of cookies, letting Mondor know he still thinks of him and the years he played in Pawtucket.

"After 25 years, to get a note like that out of the clear, blue sky — it makes you feel good to know they remember," Mondor said.

The memories are many at McCoy. Surely, new ones will be made this season.

"Let's play ball," Mondor said, smiling from ear to ear.

jdonalds@projo.com