Garagiola to accept Buck O'Neil Award in absentia

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) Joe Garagiola will receive the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award in absentia.

The 88-year-old Garagiola says he's been advised by doctors not to travel because of health concerns and won't attend Hall of Fame weekend. He'll accept it through a video recording as part of the awards presentation July 26 at Cooperstown's Doubleday Field.

Garagiola is just the third winner of the O'Neil Award, which was established in 2007. It's given for extraordinary efforts to enhance baseball's positive impact on society.

Following a nine-year major league career that started in 1946, Garagiola has dedicated his life to helping others in the game. He's founded two organizations that have impacted baseball: the Baseball Assistance Team and the National Spit Tobacco Education Program.