MLB

Alomar opens up

Roberto Alomar wants the world to know he is excited about the future. He could become the first Puerto Rican player to be a first-ballot elected to the Hall of Fame next month. He’s newly married, insists he’s healthy and wants the world to know he deeply regrets the spitting incident that has been a black mark on an otherwise stellar career.

“I’m in great health,” Alomar, referring to allegations made in February by a former girlfriend that he has AIDS, told The Post earlier this week. “I don’t talk about my personal life, but I don’t have that disease.”

Alomar, 41, said if he did have AIDS he would never marry someone. “I would never do that to another person,” he said.

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In June he married the beautiful Maripily Rivera, a model and boutique owner. Along with Maripily’s 8-year old son, who “is like my son” — “He loves to play soccer and baseball,” he said — they’ve moved into a house in Tampa — not too far from Derek Jeter’s home.

“My wife is a beautiful person inside and out,” Alomar said. “She cares for you and is somebody who protects you from everything. I think God sent me that girl. My wife keeps me busy, she’s a trainer, too, and we’re looking forward to our lives together with our son. It’s a bright life.”

The 10-time Gold Glove second baseman has several business ventures going, including a string of hearing aid stores called “Hear At Last” and a new sports clothing line called “Second to None.”

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Alomar, a 12-time All-Star, batted .300 over his 17-year career with 504 doubles, 210 home runs, 2,724 hits, 1,032 walks and 474 stolen bases. He won two world championships with the Blue Jays, and was a lifetime .313 hitter over 58 postseason games, all Hall of Fame numbers.

I first saw Alomar in the back fields of Yuma, Ariz., with the Padres, the team he broke in with in 1988. Back then he was known for getting grass stains on his pants during batting practice because he would dive after ground balls.

“I learned from Tony Gwynn how hard you had to work to be successful,” Alomar said of that Hall of Famer.

His father, Sandy, is a baseball institution and his brother Sandy Jr. recently was named a coach to Manny Acta’s staff in Cleveland.

“I think Sandy will be a manager some day,” Robbie said, adding with a laugh, “I will be his coach.”

As for that day in 1996 when he spit in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck during a heated argument following a called third strike, Alomar said he just lost it and did a “terrible stupid thing.”

Alomar said he still doesn’t know how it happened, but the two men became close friends and Hirschbeck strongly has endorsed Alomar’s candidacy for the Hall.

“I admire him and his family so much and we spent a lot of time together,” said Alomar, who was one of the first to call Hirschbeck when the umpire was diagnosed with testicular cancer. “The friendship is there. He forgives me and that’s what counts. But I want to mention something. At the time, I did not know that his kid passed away. I would never say anything bad about losing a son. That is terrible. They were putting things out there that I never said.

“I apologized to John and we became real good friends. I was called a lot of names and I suffered, my family suffered, but we’ve moved on. As long as John forgives me, that’s what counts. He knows what kind of person I am, inside my heart. We became real good friends and that means my life to me.”

By the time Alomar got to the Mets in 2003, his career was in decline. Still, he was the best second baseman of his generation and is clearly a Hall of Famer. He saw Goose Gossage two years ago when the reliever was elected to Cooperstown, and Gossage told him, “I’ll see you there soon.”

“I hope he’s right,” Alomar said. “Going to the Hall of Fame would be a dream come true.”

kevin.kernan@ nypost.com