The 84-year-old baseball great was released from the hospital Jan. 18 because there was nothing else the hospital could do for him, the newspaper said, quoting an unidentified source.
DiMaggio spent 99 days in intensive care at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Fla., after contracting lung cancer. He is too weak to undergo chemotherapy.
Although DiMaggio reportedly walked out on his own when he left the hospital, the Daily News said he was taken home on a stretcher. He is receiving around-the-clock nursing care.
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said at the time of DiMaggio's release he was looking forward to having DiMaggio throw out the first ball on opening day April 9 at Yankee Stadium.
Lawyer Morris Engelberg, a neighbor and longtime friend, visited DiMaggio on Sunday but did not return calls. Steinbrenner referred questions about DiMaggio to Engelberg.
DiMaggio entered the hospital Oct. 12 and had surgery two days later to remove a cancerous lung tumor. He then was stricken with pneumonia in his left lung and had fluid drained from his lung several times. He slipped into a coma last month and was given last rites.
He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1955, four years after his retirement, and in 1969 was chosen as the greatest living baseball player.
DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in 1941 is still considered one of the greatest feats in all sports.
01-25-99
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