No racial bias indicated by Ferry

ATLANTA — An independent investigation has found former Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry was not motivated by racial bias in making statements which ultimately ended his time with the team.

A letter summarizing the investigation by the Atlanta law firm Alston & Bird was obtained Saturday by The Associated Press, as was a letter from Hawks co-owner Todd Foreman to Ferry.

The Hawks agreed to a buyout of the final two years of Ferry’s contract on Friday. Ferry spent this season on an indefinite leave of absence following his racially derogatory comments about potential free agent Luol Deng.

More Yankee greats honored by plaques

NEW YORK — Willie Randolph was overjoyed. Mel Stottlemyre was simply stunned.

The former New York Yankees stars were honored Saturday with plaques in Monument Park — one expected and the other a well-kept secret.

The 69th annual Old-Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium featured appearances by the regular roster of fan favorites, including Hall of Famers Whitey Ford, Rickey Henderson, Reggie Jackson, Wade Boggs, Goose Gossage and Joe Torre.

Yogi Berra, who turned 90 last month, was unable to make it this time.

Phelps wins 200 IM in dominant fashion

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps took charge of the men’s 200 individual medley and raced to an impressive victory, his second win of the Arena Pro Series on Sunday night.

Phelps’ next focus is the national championships, where he expects to swim the 100 fly, 100 individual medley and 200 individual medley, though he hasn’t confirmed anything.

Baseball, softball on Olympic short list

TOKYO — The combined bid of baseball and softball are among eight sports shortlisted for inclusion in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Tokyo Olympic organizers on Monday selected the eight from a list of 26 sports that had applied for inclusion.

The other sports shortlisted are bowling, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, surfing and wushu.

Baseball and women’s softball was considered a favorite because of the popularity of those sports in Japan.

The federations of the eight sports will next make a presentation Aug. 7-8.