Roberto Alomar allegedly has AIDS.

[Ubiquitous]

According to a lawsuit by his former girlfriend Roberto found out he had AIDS in early 2006 and they had unprotected sex while Roberto insisted he was disease free.

IF it is true it does go along way to explaining his rapid decline.

[KCGHOST]

Oh, good grief. Sad story. Hopefully it is just someone feeling rejected making wild accusations. If not, we may have to ban people from using the phrase "future hall-of-famer".

[Dalkowski110]

I just checked on WebMD for facts about AIDS and I'm finding that something doesn't add up. A person can live for years while having the HIV virus (i.e. Magic Johnson), but once the HIV virus becomes AIDS, then the median survival time is 9.2 months. Both the Daily News and the Post stressed that Roberto Alomar's ex-girlfriend claimed that he did not have the HIV virus, but rather full-blown AIDS in 2006. It is currently February, 2009. While yes, I am willing to entertain the possibility that Roberto Alomar has the HIV virus, I would be pretty surprised if he had AIDS.

[Captain Cold Nose]

I just checked on WebMD for facts about AIDS and I'm finding that something doesn't add up. A person can live for years while having the HIV virus (i.e. Magic Johnson), but once the HIV virus becomes AIDS, then the median survival time is 9.2 months. Both the Daily News and the Post stressed that Roberto Alomar's ex-girlfriend claimed that he did not have the HIV virus, but rather full-blown AIDS in 2006. It is currently February, 2009. While yes, I am willing to entertain the possibility that Roberto Alomar has the HIV virus, I would be pretty surprised if he had AIDS.

I thought Greg Louganis actually has AIDS and not HIV, and he's had it for years.

But WebMD is fairly authoritative.

[Ubiquitous]

Well, you have to remember that is a median number. I've seen studies that say the range of life expectancy for people living in poor countries with AIDS is 6 to 19 months. In all probability the woman is mistaken on the full blown AIDS thing. So either she is totalling lying, which I doubt since I seriously doubt a lawyer would go forward on this without some form of proof to cover his own butt, or she is slightly mistaken.

As for Greg Louganis he has HIV.

[Dalkowski110]

Cap'n, I don't think you caught my message there. I didn't say it was impossible that Roberto Alomar had AIDS. He could. I'm merely saying that, in view of the average lifespan, it's more likely that she's either exaggerating or Alomar is HIV positive. Obviously, there will be outliers with every disease that outlive their expected lifespan (the prime example would be ALS and Stephen Hawking), but there aren't too many.

[Ubiquitous]

Apparently according to this woman Alomar admitted to getting raped by two Mexicans when he was 17 and I think she is insinuating that was how he got HIV.

[Mex4Prez]

Yeah it really doesn't matter if he had HIV or Aids, if he had one and didn't tell her then that's f'ed up. I think the article where you read that the life expectancy of an Aids carrier was only 2 years is either out dated or the average of all cases historically. Doctors know a lot more about it now. 30 years ago if you had Aids there were no medicines at all and maybe you'd live a year if your lucky. But now a days things are a little better and it's not uncommone to live 5-6 years.


source:http://www.aegis.org/NEWS/wb/2005/WB050114.html

[Ubiquitous]

Yeah, I've been digging around and it turns out with proper medication you can have full blown AIDS and live for many years (many be relative of course).


According the documents Alomar found out he had HIV/AIDS the same time the plaintiff did. Alomar like so many of us was terrified of the idea of having AIDS so he refused to admit to the possibility of it and refused to get testing despite mounting evidence that he had it.

[Captain Cold Nose]

Cap'n, I don't think you caught my message there. I didn't say it was impossible that Roberto Alomar had AIDS. He could. I'm merely saying that, in view of the average lifespan, it's more likely that she's either exaggerating or Alomar is HIV positive. Obviously, there will be outliers with every disease that outlive their expected lifespan (the prime example would be ALS and Stephen Hawking), but there aren't too many.

Oh, no. I did. But I did have the impression that those who are extremely fit, such as athletes who keep in excellent condition, may have an edge. When Louganis first said he had the disease it seemed to indicate he actually had the full disease (whoever was interviewing him asked him and he really didn't answer but seemed to say he did) and did so when he won the Gold that last time.

Regardless, if Alomar does indeed have it and he has had HIV for that long of a period (that would have been before Magic Johnson admiited he had it) does make one wonder if this is just part of a bitter trial.
More facts need to come out of this, really. Has Alomar denied this?

[Dalkowski110]

"Yeah it really doesn't matter if he had HIV or Aids, if he had one and didn't tell her then that's f'ed up."

I agree. However, I'm merely trying to ascertain the truth of what Alomar actually has.

"or the average of all cases historically."

This is indeed what I was looking at. I stand corrected. It also explains why he's still alive.

"But I did have the impression that those who are extremely fit, such as athletes who keep in excellent condition, may have an edge."

This makes sense and I agree.

[Ubiquitous]

The thing I don't know about is what is the life expectancy of somebody who starts treatment only after having full blown AIDS and it is hitting them hard. I would think their life expectancy to be dramatically lower then the 6 years posted in the study.

[Dalkowski110]

"I would think their life expectancy to be dramatically lower then the 6 years posted in the study."

This is true and I tend to agree, but we don't know (and frankly can't until more facts emerge) if Alomar immediately sought treatment and managed to keep it quiet.

[Ubiquitous]

I'm sure he is seeking treatment now but according to the documents he wasn't seeking treatment then. According to the document he probably had at least a 1 year head start on being diagnosed with the disease but failed to get tested.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Former pro tennis player Mary Pierce, and Alomar's former finace, must be totally freaked out by this news about Alomar. :(

[J W]

No kidding.

I think the insinuation linking Alomar's rape and his disease is horrible. Robbie is... 41 years old I believe. He was allegedly raped at age 17.

Could he really have had HIV for 20+ years before AIDS symptoms first showed up? I have to think he would contract it later. Point being Ms. Dall did not need to say that.

As an aside, if Robbie was raped all those years ago I can only imagine how it scarred him. And it STILL doesn't excuse what he did, if he did it. I just feel so awful about the whole thing.

[Senor Octobre]

Is this all real or is it tabloid? If it's true than I can't imagine how frightening it must be for both of them... what a shame...

[NYMets523]

I'll reserve judgment until more is revealed. I'm more inclined to believe Alomar at this moment though.

[Captain Cold Nose]

Here's a link.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-alomarlawsuit&prov=ap&type=lgns

[csh19792001]

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/02/10/2009-02-10_15m_lawsuit_claims_exmet_roberto_alomar_.html

"The test results of him being HIV-positive was given to him and the plaintiff on or about Feb.6, 2006," the $15 million negligence suit says.

Nine days later, the couple went to see a disease specialist who discovered a mass in the retired second baseman's chest, the court papers say.

Alomar's skin had turned purple, he was foaming at the mouth and a spinal tap "showed he had full-blown AIDS," the suit says.

They broke up last October.

All this, and full blown AIDS, and he's still alive 3 years later? And after he lied to her and put her health (and life) at risk.......and they just broke up last October? 3 years after she says she found out Robbie tested positive and only now does the outrage set in?

[boisemarinersfan]

This is an awfully distasteful subject to be speculating about. Maybe wait until the FACTS come out. If its true its sad. if not its sad.

[bongo1967]

This is a very strong "rumor" here in Puerto Rico, I'm trying to find an Alomar relative but did'nt answer his cell.

[Mantle57]

"All this, and full blown AIDS, and he's still alive 3 years later? And after he lied to her and put her health (and life) at risk.......and they just broke up last October? 3 years after she says she found out Robbie tested positive and only now does the outrage set in?"

I'm chalking this up to jilted groupie. Probably not PC to say this, but there could be no worse blow to a Latino males manhood than getting accused of having a "homosexual" condition like HIV.

[Captain Cold Nose]

This is an awfully distasteful subject to be speculating about. Maybe wait until the FACTS come out. If its true its sad. if not its sad.

The story is out there. It's part of a lawsuit. No one here is doing anything out of the ordinary when such a story breaks. Since it's part of the legal process more is sure to come, but this isn't some TMZ tabloid story.

[CROM]

This is horrible news.

[hudsonharden]

Oh, good grief. Sad story. Hopefully it is just someone feeling rejected making wild accusations. If not, we may have to ban people from using the phrase "future hall-of-famer".

Why would a disease keep him out of the Hall of Fame? If this is true, having AIDS while being one of the best second baseman of all time is even more a testament to his athletics prowess. Or maybe a testament to the wonders of medicine.

I'm chalking this up to jilted groupie. Probably not PC to say this, but there could be no worse blow to a Latino males manhood than getting accused of having a "homosexual" condition like HIV.

A very valid point. If you really want to sully someone's reputation, say they have a venerial disease. If this is a set up, she really went for the gusto.

I have to believe that this story has some measures of truth to it, either that Alomar forced unprotected sex on this woman, that he has this disease, that he was raped when he was 17, or all/some of the above. AIDS-awareness was so scarce in the 80's and early 90's, I can't believe that Magic Johnson was the only casualty of major athletes not protecting themselves. Who knows what other players have lived quietly with the disease all these years.

[Brad Harris]

According to this Post story (http://www.nypost.com/seven/02112009/news/regionalnews/alomar_in_aids_shock_154568.htm), Alomar, in fact does have AIDS.

[Ubiquitous]

The article does not make that claim. That article is simply the story on the lawsuit the woman filed against him in which she claims he has AIDS

[west coast orange and black]

mantle57: Probably not PC to say this, but there could be no worse blow to a Latino males manhood than getting accused of having a "homosexual" condition like HIV.

forget pc, i find it ignorant to believe that all latino males are ignorant of the causes of hiv.

and, hiv is not a "condition"; it is a disease.

[STLCards2]

Could he really have had HIV for 20+ years before AIDS symptoms first showed up? I have to think he would contract it later. .

Yes, this is possible. Rare but possible. Peoole in great physical conditions have been known to have HIV without going into AIDS for 20 or more years before.

[Seattle1]

I wonder how prevalent sharing needles is in the dark steroids underground subculture of major league baseball?

[Buczilla]

There are semi recent photo's of Alomar on the internet, as well as a video on Youtube where he in honored at a Blue Jays game this past season. He doesn't look to be suffering from any health problems to me.

[Buczilla]

Roberto Alomar denies illness claims

ESPN.com news services

Roberto Alomar said Wednesday that he is in good health, a response to allegations made in a civil suit against him in which a former girlfriend claims he insisted on unprotected sex for four years despite having AIDS.

"This is a very private, personal matter and I greatly appreciate all the support I have received in the past few days from my family, friends and colleagues in baseball," the former All-Star second baseman said in a statement. "I am in very good health and I ask that you respect my privacy during this time."

Ilya Dall, a former girlfriend of Roberto Alomar, filed a civil suit Jan. 30 alleging that Alomar demanded unprotected sex with her despite showing obvious signs of AIDS, and that the 41-year-old Alomar later tested positive for the disease. Dall has not tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. She is seeking at least $15 million in damages.

"As for the lawsuit, it is filled with lies and I am deeply saddened that someone I cared for would make such terrible accusations and try to hurt me in this way," Alomar said in his statement.

Earlier Wednesday, his father told ESPN that Roberto is not ill.

"The only thing that I can tell you is that this is news to us," Sandy Alomar Sr. said. "When a person is sick like that, wouldn't he have to be in the hospital? I haven't seen my son sick like that. I am confident that he is fine.

"We are a family. We are very close, a family that is united. I am sure my son is fine. Other than that, we are going to let the lawyers handle it."

Alomar Sr. said he saw his son on Monday when Roberto ended a visit with the family.

"He was well. He wasn't sick," Alomar Sr. told ESPN.

Alomar was honored before the Toronto Blue Jays home opener in April and showed no obvious signs of health problems.

Alomar lawyer Charles Bach told the New York Daily News the allegations are "frivolous and baseless."

Alomar spent 17 years in the major leagues and was one of baseball's best players in the 1990s, making 12 straight All-Star appearances and winning two World Series with the Blue Jays.

A career .300 hitter with 10 Gold Gloves, Alomar broke in with the San Diego Padres in 1988 and also played for the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox. He last played in the majors in 2004.

One of the most memorable moments of Alomar's career came in 1996, when he became enraged after a third strike and spit on umpire John Hirschbeck. He drew a five-game suspension that was later overturned.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3900719&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines

[csh19792001]

HIV is not a "condition"; it is a disease.

Just to play bookkeeper, HIV is not a disease. It's an immunodeficiency virus.

[Senor Octobre]

Concerning post #33, I can only hope this is true.

[Yankee Mystique]

I hope this is NOT true. I have always been a fan of Roberto since he was a rookie. Always played the game like it should be played.

[Ubiquitous]

Roberto Alomar has released a statement in which he denies he has AIDS.

[Brad Harris]

Roberto Alomar has released a statement in which he denies he has AIDS.
That's not what I read in the article quoted in post 33. Alomar said he's in "good health" and he's disputing the lawsuit (which alleges that Alomar knowingly endangered the health of his sexual partner.) Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see anything where Alomar said "I do not have AIDS or HIV."

[Ubiquitous]

I think by definition you cannot be in "very good health" if you have full blown AIDS. He also says that the documents are filled with terrible lies.

[hudsonharden]

I hope this is NOT true. I have always been a fan of Roberto since he was a rookie. Always played the game like it should be played.

I agree, you'd have to have a pretty dark heart to wish that syndrome on anyone.

[Captain Cold Nose]

Concerning post #33, I can only hope this is true.

Agreed. People with contact with Alomar without axes to grind are denying it. I find it hard to believe this is something his own father would not know. Especially after all this time.

[Zito75]

This is a pretty balsy claim by the woman. If in fact she is lying, then Alomar can hit her with liable and slander. On the other hand, I don't see why anyone want to throw such a claim out there without some shreds of truth to it. I'm not exactly sure how she's been harmed by her (or their) reckless behavior, but she's clearly trying to get cash.

[parlo]

This sheds a little more light on it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/sports/baseball/12alomar.html?ref=baseball

[csh19792001]

double post.

[csh19792001]

“We believe this is a totally frivolous lawsuit,” Alomar’s lawyer, Luke Pittoni, said in a telephone interview. “These allegations are baseless. He’s healthy and would like to keep his health status private. Pittoni declined to add or clarify any details, and Alomar could not be reached for comment.”


Alomar has denied "illness claims" but why isn't he trying to address this directly? One would think, intuitively, especially in a hostile/litigious situation such as this one, that the accused would come out immediately and state for the record "I do not have H.I.V. or AIDS".

Anyone else find this odd?

[STLCards2]

From what I have read, it seems most likely that he does have HIV, but the issue in question was if Alomar was aware that he was infected at the time of sexual relations with the woman.

I agree with csh, the wording from the defense reeks of creative language - denying the allegations of knowingly exposing somebody with a fatal illness, without denying infection.

[Yankee Mystique]

The story was bs. Robbie was shown in one of the NYC papers in a limo with his new HOT girlfriend holding her hand. Even she defended him saying that he doesn't have AIDS or she would not be with him. He or she didn't exactly look like they had Full Blown AIDS. I'm so happy that crap wasn't true. I'm a big time Alomar fan.

[Ubiquitous]

From the article in which Alomar's new girlfriend defends Alomar:
The suit does not state what treatment Alomar sought, but medical experts say retroviral drugs can work miracles with even advanced cases of AIDS, according to the report by the Daily News.

"Within months, you can drop the levels of virus in bloodstream to undetectable levels," Dr. Antonio Urbina, medical director of the HIV/AIDS Education and Training Center at the St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers, told the newspaper.

[Chris from NY]

but the issue in question was if Alomar was aware that he was infected at the time of sexual relations with the woman.

It seems to me that they are conceding that he didn't know he was HIV positive. From the NY times article: "The suit claims that Alomar, 41, knew or should have known that he was H.I.V. positive and accused him of “gross and wanton negligence” for repeatedly refusing to undergo testing, even as Dall said he developed several symptoms linked to H.I.V. and AIDS."

That seems like a very flimsy grounds for the lawsuit to me. Is there any precedence Ms. Dall and her lawyer can base this lawsuit on, or is it completely out of left field so to speak?

[Ubiquitous]

Negligence covers a lot of ground. A wanton disregard for the rights or well being of another person. In otherwords he was sick, he should have sought treatment, he continued to say he was clean, he had unprotected sex, his disregard for her safety put her at risk.

[ol' aches and pains]

It seems to me that they are conceding that he didn't know he was HIV positive. From the NY times article: "The suit claims that Alomar, 41, knew or should have known that he was H.I.V. positive and accused him of “gross and wanton negligence” for repeatedly refusing to undergo testing, even as Dall said he developed several symptoms linked to H.I.V. and AIDS."

That seems like a very flimsy grounds for the lawsuit to me. Is there any precedence Ms. Dall and her lawyer can base this lawsuit on, or is it completely out of left field so to speak?

If she's not HIV positive, and Alomar has a halfway competent lawyer, she's not getting a dime, whether Alomar has AIDS or not.

[Ubiquitous]

But that is where emotional distress comes in.

[ol' aches and pains]

But that is where emotional distress comes in.

True, and I certainly understand that, but I still don't think she'll get his money.

[Chris from NY]

If she's not HIV positive, and Alomar has a halfway competent lawyer, she's not getting a dime, whether Alomar has AIDS or not.
I believe I read an article that said she is not HIV positive.