Abe Pollin

LANDOVER -- Good things allegedly come to those who wait, and so Bernard King was willing to wait for the Washington Bullets to come to him about a contract extension.And since King has been about the only bright spot the lowly Bullets have had so far this season, it seemed about time for the wait to end.And so it did yesterday, as the team and the star forward came to agreement on an extension of King's contract, believed to be for two years and $4 million.For his part, King, who asked the team not to reveal the exact terms, was happy to establish a permanent tie to an organization that gave him a chance to prove himself three years ago after his near career-ending knee injury in March 1985.

Former Wizards owner Abe Pollin was remembered as a civic-minded visionary, passionate sportsman and generous philanthropist at a public memorial service Tuesday night in Washington. "He's done all these things for so many people, not only here in this country, but in other countries as well. Kids he's helped out with all the scholarships that he's given," said Basketball Hall of Fame guard Earl Monroe , who played for Pollin's Baltimore Bullets from 1967 to 1971. "Those are the things that will live on long after today.

Amid conflicting reports on what happened in the Washington Wizards locker room, the matter clearly goes beyond the team's original statement about Gilbert Arenas storing unloaded guns in his locker. What began with the NBA looking into a possible violation of its own rules has turned into an investigation involving the U.S. Attorney's Office and District of Columbia police. The implications are serious, with the legal system, the league and the Wizards in line to take possible action if the allegations prove true.

Brushing aside suggestions that the contract be competitively bid, the Board of Estimates approved yesterday a five-year extension of Centre Management's pact to run the Baltimore Arena.Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke pushed for the contract extension over objections from Council President Mary Pat Clarke and others, saying that Centre Management saved the city $3.4 million during the four years it has run the arena.The company, which also manages the USAir Arena -- formerly the Capital Centre -- in Landover and the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., assumed control of the city-owned arena in a no-bid deal in 1988.

Abe Pollin memorial service Jamison: 'His time here, he really made a difference' Former Wizards owner Abe Pollin was remembered as a civic-minded visionary, passionate sportsman and generous philanthropist at a public memorial service Tuesday night in Washington. "He's done all these things for so many people, not only here in this country, but in other countries as well. Kids he's helped out with all the scholarships that he's given," said Basketball Hall of Fame guard Earl Monroe, who played for Pollin's Baltimore Bullets from 1967 to 1971.

Day 27 of Gilbert held hostage … With sentencing put off until late March, the prosecutors got what they needed Friday, insisting Gilbert Arenas plead guilty to a felony rather than a misdemeanor. That must be the difference between getting busted in Washington and the suburbs, as the Cavaliers' Delonte West did. West was charged in Maryland with four misdemeanors for carrying two loaded handguns and a loaded shotgun on his motorcycle, violating concealed-carry laws, as opposed to possessing four unloaded guns that weren't licensed in Washington.

POOR MICHAEL Jordan, the neophyte NBA executive, was used by Abe Pollin? Please. Nike ought to consider a new sneaker line. Air Abes. With velcro tabs for the geriatric set, the shoe can make a 79-year-old man leap intergalactic icons in a single bound. Most impressive feature? Air Abes can really fire! That's right, folks. Abe Pollin, owner of the Washington Wizards, just took off from the foul line and floated like a butterfly to sting Jordan like the mother of all bees. It's a bird.

If it is true, as reported, that a Mr. Bill DeWitt Jr. of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Arlington, Texas, is about to purchase the baseball team of Baltimore, he should enter city limits with this understanding: Nobody around here, excepting Mr. Eli Jacobs, particularly welcomes the sight of him.That DeWitt, a Cincinnati oil executive and minor partner in the Texas Rangers baseball team, is apparently about to buy the Orioles, helps expose one more time that most...

LANDOVER -- Peter Bondra, dressed all in black, entered the Washington Capitals' locker room last night to backslaps, broad smiles and welcome-home wishes.After a 39-day holdout, Bondra and the Capitals reached an agreement on a five-year, $9 million deal yesterday in time for 1995's leading NHL goal-scorer to climb into a uniform and onto the ice for last night's 7-4 loss to Los Angeles."I'm excited, relieved and very happy to have Peter under contract for the next five years," said Capitals general manager David Poile.

ANOTHER SUITOR. Another city. Another stop on the Michael Jordan Savior Tour. Maybe this is a basketball midlife crisis the likes of which we've never quite seen before. It's not every day that the greatest player ever sputters into meltdown mode, giving the distinct impression of a man stumbling into uneasy middle age. Michael Jordan is on his way out not only as shooting guard but as the Washington Wizards' president, too? Hold on there, partner. It takes more than one attempt to divorce Jordan.