Mantle Suffering From Stress and Respiratory Ailment

Baseball great Mickey Mantle is suffering from stress syndrome and an upper respiratory infection and probably will be released from the hospital Wednesday, doctors said today.

Mantle, 55, was taken to Irving Community Hospital Sunday night after complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath during an airline flight from New York to his home in Dallas.

Mantle issued a statement Monday saying he was “tired, but feeling fine” and the hospital denied he had suffered a heart attack.

The hospital has been so inundated with telephone calls from concerned fans it had to disconnect incoming calls to the unit where Mantle is staying.

“It is so heartwarming, it kind of renews your faith in mankind,” spokeswoman Ramona Bevier said.