Roberto Alomar

I'm really shocked to find out that Roberto Alomar is suffering from, and apparently dying from, AIDS. He's been suffering since at least 2005, so medicine seems to be doing the trick, but he's had a lot of horrible things happen to his body. I'm not an expert on the latest in HIV medicine, so I'm not sure how long someone can stay alive who is already experiencing the cancers associated with the disease.

He was really a great second baseman. I know people hated him because of the spitting incident with the umpire. But he was truly fantastic. I believe he is eligible for the Hall of Fame next year and I hope the voters place him there. I also hope he lives long to see it. He's probably a borderline candidate. According to Baseball Reference, his most similar batters are Barry Larkin, the massively overrated Derek Jeter, Lou Whitaker, Frankie Frisch, and Julio Franco. That is one hall of famer, one who will be, two who clearly deserve it (Larkin and Whitaker), and Franco. Middle infielders are pretty underrepresented in the Hall. That Whitaker, Alan Trammell, and Bobby Grich aren't in there is highway robbery. All of this suggests that Alomar will be a borderline candidate. But I think his clear dominance for several years places him in a Ryne Sandberg category.

Anyway, I was a big Blue Jays fan when I was a kid. Alomar was freaking awesome. And I hope his career is recognized during his likely short lifetime.