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Former Negro Leaguer Buck O'Neil still hospitalized in KC

Former Negro Leaguer Buck O'Neil, speaking at this year's Hall of Fame ceremonies in Cooperstown, N.Y. (UPI file photo/Bill Greenblatt)
Former Negro Leaguer Buck O'Neil, speaking at this year's Hall of Fame ceremonies in Cooperstown, N.Y. (UPI file photo/Bill Greenblatt)

By AP/KWMU

Kansas City, MO – Former Negro League Baseball player Buck O'Neil remains hospitalized in Kansas City with what's described as extreme fatigue.

Friends say they're more worried about the 94-year old because he only speaks in whispers and they say his doctors don't know what's wrong.

O'Neil checked into the hospital in mid-September; he also had a three-day hospital stay in August.

O'Neil is one of the most sought-after speakers in sports. He's had a heavy schedule of public appearances for the past several months.

Bob Kendrick, an official of Kansas City's Negro Leagues Museum and a close friend of O'Neil, visited the hospital Tuesday and says O'Neil is unable to speak above a whisper.

O'Neil just missed being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame earlier this year. He was a star player and manager for the Kansas City Monarchs in the 1940s and '50s, later becoming the first black coach in the major leagues.

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