Usair Arena

LANDOVER -- Next season, Michael Jordan may feel more at home when he takes to the air for a dunk against the Washington Bullets in Landover.That's because the Bullets' home will have a new name come July 1: USAir Arena.Abe Pollin, owner of the Bullets and the NHL's Washington Capitals, announced the name change at a news conference yesterday.Neither Pollin nor Seth Schofield, chairman of the board for USAir, would reveal the financial terms, but published reports have listed Pollin and his Centre Group's intake at $1 million a year over the 10-year deal.

Demolition of the Capital Centre in Landover, an unused sports and concert venue built in 1973, will begin by the end of the year to make way for a "main street" of shops and restaurants, the developer said yesterday. A partnership led by the Cordish Co., the Baltimore developer that rebuilt the Inner Harbor's Power Plant into a retail and entertainment complex, has been working on the plans for about two years. The design has changed since the original pitch, partly because a 16-screen movie theater planned by Earvin "Magic" Johnson was scrapped for financial reasons.

LANDOVER -- The third-ranked St. Frances Panthers continued an impressive stretch of basketball, defeating Anacostia, 60-46, in the opening game of the inaugural DeMatha Invitational at the USAir Arena yesterday.Mark Karcher scored a game-high 30 points for the Panthers on 12-for-16 shooting and junior center Shawn Hampton added 10 points and 11 rebounds.After falling behind early, St. Frances (19-4) controlled the rest of the game, leading by as many as 18 points in the second half. Since losing the area's No. 1 ranking, St. Frances has reeled off four straight double-digit victories.

David Cope, who as vice president of sales and marketing for the Ravens helped negotiate the team's blockbuster sponsorship with PSINet, is moving to the Washington Redskins.Cope, 35, a resident of Bethesda, will become an executive vice president in charge of marketing, public relations and stadium operation, according to sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.He will likely spearhead the Redskins' effort to find a sponsor for the stadium, named after former owner Jack Kent Cooke.

LANDOVER -- The Washington Capitals still have work to do, but last night they put some bad times behind them with a dominating 6-2 NHL victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning at USAir Arena.The Caps, who had started the season 0-2, returned to what had worked best for them last season. They played an aggressive defensive style that turned into a power play goal by Jason Allison, even-strength goals by Peter Bondra (two), Michal Pivonka and Joe Juneau and a short-handed goal by Phil Housley, who also had three assists.

A couple of years ago, a snappy new building arose adjacent to the front door of the USAir Arena (still known to some as the Capital Centre). It houses Capital Management, which runs several arenas here and elsewhere, plus some of the offices of the Washington Bullets and Caps.This past season, despite gathering up their usual 50-plus defeats, the Bullets averaged 16,000 patrons per game, so there was no need for the NBA to send along a check for $750,000 to help out with the losses as happened in the past.

Eleven years ago, Marek Sokol abandoned his drama school in Warsaw for freedom from communism -- and a new career as owner of a construction business in Rockville. In 1990, Alice F. Chen, 20, left China for a better education in the United States, which she says she has found as a sophomore at the University of Maryland.Yesterday, they and 3,199 other immigrants gathered at USAir Arena in Landover for what Maryland-based officials of the Immigration and Naturalization Service called the largest naturalization ceremony in recent memory.

Opponent: Phoenix SunsSite: USAir Arena, LandoverTime: 7:30Radio: WTEM (570 AM)Note: All tickets from the Dec. 6 game against the Suns, which was postponed because of condensation on the floor of the USAir Arena, can be used tonight. The game is sold out.Outlook: The Suns, after Tuesday's loss to the Golden State Warriors, have lost two straight and four of their past 10. The best team in the Western Conference most of the season, the Suns have dropped to fourth and are a half-game behind Seattle in the Pacific Division.

Opponent: Vancouver CanucksSite: USAir Arena, LandoverTime: 7: 30TV/Radio: HTS/WWLG (1360 AM), WTEM (570 AM)Outlook: The Capitals have lost two straight. Vancouver is the fifth-place team in the Western Conference. The teams played to a 4-4 tie in Vancouver on Feb. 10. This will be Vancouver's first visit to USAir Arena since Nov. 5, 1993. The Caps will be without D Brendan Witt (broken wrist) and D Ken Klee (groin). Vancouver C Mike Ridley (sore back) is sidelined indefinitely, and RW Pavel Bure (torn knee ligament)

WASHINGTON -- It hit with the force of a flying puck.Overnight, this city has turned itself into a hockey town. For years, the Washington Capitals were a source of derision and apathy, not pride.No matter. As the team fought its way this week into the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in its 24-year history, new fans, along with old loyalists, joined the cheering squad for this team faster than you can say "bloody nose.""It's the Stanley Cup -- you've got to be excited," said Andrea Min, 25, a systems analyst from Arlington, Va. "Everyone here is following the team, even if they didn't care before."

LANDOVER -- Few, if any, tears were shed over the closing of the Bullets' run Wednesday night when a playoff sweep by the Chicago Bulls brought down the final curtain at USAir Arena.Still, some in attendance felt the nickname the NBA franchise used for 20 years should have been treated with more dignity before being replaced by the "Wizards," who will make their debut next fall at the new MCI Center in downtown Washington."It's shameful," said Kevin Loughery, one of the original Baltimore FTC Bullets who later coached the team in Washington.

LANDOVER -- It wasn't just any shot that Calbert Cheaney released before the horn at the end of last night's game. With his team trailing by one point, it was a shot that could have beaten the Chicago Bulls, kept the Washington Bullets' playoff hopes alive and extended the season -- as well as the life of USAir Arena -- at least another game.But Cheaney missed. He shot an air ball after getting hit on the elbow by Michael Jordan. No foul was called, and the franchise's history with the Bullets name was over.

BOWIE -- With five straight wins, the Washington Bullets briefly elevated themselves into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings. With the best record in basketball, the Chicago Bulls are the top team in the East and favorites to win their third straight NBA title.To most basketball observers, tonight's Bullets-Bulls matchup at the USAir Arena is a possible preview to an opening-round playoff series. But the Bullets, after spending weeks chasing the eighth spot, have set their sights even higher.

Opponent: Milwaukee BucksSite: Bradley Center, MilwaukeeTime: 8: 30TV/Radio: Ch. 50/WWRC (980 AM)Outlook: This is the final meeting of the season between the teams. The Bullets won the last meeting on Feb. 17, 95-93. At the time the Bucks were in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, but Milwaukee has fallen to 11th and has won once in the past 10 games. The Bullets have won two straight on the road and enter the game at nearly full strength with the return of F Chris Webber (32 points on Wednesday, after missing three straight games with a strained back)

LANDOVER -- The third-ranked St. Frances Panthers continued an impressive stretch of basketball, defeating Anacostia, 60-46, in the opening game of the inaugural DeMatha Invitational at the USAir Arena yesterday.Mark Karcher scored a game-high 30 points for the Panthers on 12-for-16 shooting and junior center Shawn Hampton added 10 points and 11 rebounds.After falling behind early, St. Frances (19-4) controlled the rest of the game, leading by as many as 18 points in the second half. Since losing the area's No. 1 ranking, St. Frances has reeled off four straight double-digit victories.