BRIEFLY: Hospital drops its Clemens association

Roger Clemens’ name is being removed from a sports medicine institute at a Houston hospital in another dent to the legacy of the major league baseball pitcher since he was linked to steroid use.

The Roger Clemens Institute for Sports Medicine at Memorial Hermann will shed Clemens’ name effective Jan. 1 “to better reflect its commitment to all sports and athletes,” the Houston-based health system said.

“The move reflects a desire to promote the broad range of sports medicine services and programs offered by Memorial Hermann across the greater Houston area,” Memorial Hermann said. “This change only affects the name of the Institute. Roger Clemens remains committed to working with us to champion youth sports and develop aspiring baseball players.”

MORE BASEBALL

Penny, Bard joining Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox and pitcher Brad Penny reached a preliminary agreement on a $5 million, one-year contract, according to several reports Monday. The team also struck a tentative agreement with catcher Josh Bard and both deals are pending physicals, the reports said. A two-time All-Star, the 30-year-old Penny struggled with injuries last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He went 6-9 with a 6.27 ERA in 17 starts and two relief appearances… . Pitcher Daniel Cabrera formalized his one-year, $2.6 million contract with the Washington Nationals after passing a physical.

HOCKEY

Cherepanov took enhancer drugs

New York Rangers prospect Alexei Cherepanov took performance-enhancing drugs for several months before he died during a Russian league game in October, investigators said. Investigators added that the 19-year-old suffered from myocarditis, a condition where not enough blood gets to the heart, and should not have been playing pro hockey… . Magnus Svensson Paajarvi had two goals and two assists to help Sweden rout Latvia 10-1 at the world junior hockey championship in Ottawa.