Melvin Mora worries about the fans at Camden Yards and how a baseball strike would affect them. He worries about his teammates, who would lose out on a full season. He sympathizes with ownership, which could take a major financial hit from another work stoppage and the harsh repercussions.
And that doesn't even include his concerns at home, where a wife and six young children present issues that are unique inside the Orioles clubhouse. Or in his native Venezuela, where family members depend on his generosity.
The Major League Baseball Players Association's strike date is Friday. The union and team owners continue to negotiate on a new labor deal, but they don't seem close to agreement on revenue sharing and a tax on clubs with high player payrolls.
Though the games could end after Thursday night, Mora's responsibilities will continue. And Mora, 30, has enough to fill the B&O warehouse.
Mora's salary is $350,000 this year, $150,000 more than the major-league minimum.
"Hopefully, nothing happens," said Mora, an outfielder and shortstop in his third season with the Orioles and fourth in the majors. "I try to stay positive. I try to stay relaxed."
He also stays prepared. Mora usually plays winter ball in Venezuela but doesn't report until late November. If there's a strike, he'll leave behind wife Gisel, daughter Tatiana, 5, and 1-year-old quintuplets Genesis, Christian, Rebekah, Matthew and Jada for the start of the season Oct. 12.
"I worry about it, but if they don't pay me, somebody will have to pay me," Mora said. "I'll try to do my best and make some money over there. It's something I can't control. If we have to work somewhere else, if she has to work or I have to go to Venezuela to play, we'll do it.
"We don't see this in our country. This is my first time. The last time there was a strike [in 1994], I was in the minor leagues. Now I'm in the big leagues, and I wasn't ready for this."
Mora's wife doesn't want to see him go, she said, "but we've got to feed our family. He was looking forward to spending the off-season with us, but what can you do? How do the kids eat?"
The quintuplets, born July 28, 2001, remain on a special formula because their digestive systems aren't ready for solid food. They also require six or seven doctors "because specialists are needed for every little thing," said Gisel Mora, 28.
