Tyus Edney was a dashing figure for UCLA

Happy anniversary to perhaps the guttiest little Bruin of them all, pint-sized former point guard Tyus Edney. …

On this date 15 years ago, Edney made one of the most unforgettable plays in UCLA basketball history, his length-of-the-court mad dash and buzzer-beating bank shot sinking Missouri and keeping the Bruins on track for their 11th NCAA title. …

Edney, 37, and his Brazilian-Italian wife, Ainoa Da Silva, live with their son and two daughters in Las Vegas, where Edney retired last year after playing 14 pro seasons, 10 in Europe. …

He hopes to get into coaching or broadcasting — or both. …

Calling the Super Bowl an “extraordinary one-night stand,” Syracuse pop-culture professor Bob Thompson tells USA Today, “The NCAA tournament is more like a short relationship — short enough to not be bored, long enough to be fulfilling.” …

Candy and flowers are optional. …

Kobe Bryant says it “doesn’t matter” if the Lakers are seeded No. 1 in the Western Conference playoffs, apparently forgetting that in the post-Shaquille O’Neal era they’ve gone 0-3 in playoff series in which they did not hold home-court advantage. …

Next month’s Masters: A circus unlike any other. …

Though interleague play in baseball was introduced 13 years ago, the Dodgers still have not played at Yankee Stadium and the Tampa Bay Rays have not played at Dodger Stadium. …

The Angels have not played at Wrigley Field, nor have the St. Louis Cardinals played at Angel Stadium. …

With John Lackey gone to Boston, the door is open for Joe Saunders to establish himself as the Angels’ new ace. …

The Yankees’ roster includes baseball’s highest-paid players at six positions: starting pitcher CC Sabathia, catcher Jorge Posada, first baseman Mark Teixeira, shortstop Derek Jeter, third baseman Alex Rodriguez and closer Mariano Rivera. …

Their reported 2010 salaries range from Posada’s $13.1 million to A-Rod’s eye-popping $32 million. …

During Merlin Olsen’s rookie season, Phil Olsen noted at his brother’s memorial, the Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle was seated on the bench at the Coliseum during a loss to the Minnesota Vikings when he felt a tap on his shoulder. …

Turning around, he was startled to see his father, who had talked his way into the area to inform his son that he and Olsen’s mother were leaving early to “beat the traffic.” …

Suddenly realizing his teammates had taken the field, the game still in progress after a Rams turnover, Olsen ran out to join them, his father falling in behind and later explaining, “I thought everybody was running out to congratulate the Vikings.” …

Said Willie Davis after his three-error Game 2 in the 1966 World Series: “It ain’t my life and it ain’t my wife, so why worry?” …

Davis’ son, Casey, was a left fielder at Wichita State, where his teammates included Casey Blake. …

Tommy Davis, the Dodgers’ only league batting champion during their more than 50 years in Los Angeles, played high school basketball in Brooklyn with Lenny Wilkens and nearly joined the future Hall of Famer at Providence — to play basketball. …

Davis says a call from his idol, Jackie Robinson, helped convince him to sign with the Dodgers instead. …

On this date in 1995, wearing jersey No. 45, Michael Jordan ended his first retirement, scoring 19 points for the Chicago Bulls in an overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers. …

Nine days later, he scored 55 at Madison Square Garden. …

“If Jack Kramer were still alive,” reader Ralph Brax of Lancaster e-mails to note, “he would sign up Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras for a whirlwind, nationwide tennis tour.” …

Before his TV confessional this week, sex-obsessed former NBA player Winston Bennett never would have been mentioned in the same breath as Wilt Chamberlain and Tiger Woods. …

Magic Johnson will be honored at a charity dinner benefitting San Pedro’s Toberman Neighborhood Center on April 11 at the Manhattan Beach Marriott. …

Information: (310) 832-1145, ext. 119. …

Reader Bob Tucker of Solvang, regarding Mike Tyson’s foray into pigeon racing for an upcoming Animal Planet reality TV series: “It’s a good thing pigeons don’t have ears.”

jerome.crowe@latimes.com