The Upper Hand, Even Without the Better Hand

Laker owner Jerry Buss, competing in the National Heads-Up poker tournament at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, faced one of the top players in the world, Daniel Negreanu, on Saturday.

After the pairings were set Friday night for the $1.5-million tournament to be televised on NBC in May, Negreanu, a Raptor fan from Toronto, bought a Detroit Piston jersey to wear in the match against Buss.

“Psychological warfare, since the Pistons knocked out the Lakers last year,” Negreanu said.

Buss, who was beaten when Negreanu pulled a straight flush on the last card to beat an ace-high flush, didn’t seem unnerved about his opponent’s attire.

“We’ve won nine championships,” he said. “They’ve won three.”

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Trivia time: Two-time Olympic decathlon champion Bob Mathias is from the Central California community of Tulare. Which other Olympic decathlon champion is from the same area?

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An ear for music: Mike Tyson was a celebrity guest at the San Remo Song Festival in Italy last week and was paid $92,460 for appearing, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

“I have no idea why they invited me,” Tyson told an Italian newspaper. “Maybe it’s because I’m a music lover.”

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About time: Heard the latest about Bill Russell? He’s going into the Hall of Fame. Only it’s baseball’s Bill Russell and it’s the Kansas Hall of Fame. The Wichita Eagle reported that the former Dodger shortstop and manager, a native of Pittsburg, Kan., will be inducted April 16.

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Just the ticket: Still have a used or unused ticket to the rain-shortened Nissan Open? If you do, it’s good for admission to the Champions Tour SBC Classic Friday through Sunday at Valencia County Club, or any of the earlier pro-ams.

“Since Southern California golf enthusiasts have been pummeled by Mother Nature, we wanted to offer them a rain check,” tournament director Brian Fitzgerald said.

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Fine whine: Reader Bill Littlejohn, on the Raiders’ signing of Randy Moss: “It’s now ‘Just Whine, Baby.’ ”

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Not Lima time: Last seen dazzling the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League division series at Dodger Stadium, Jose Lima didn’t fare well in his debut with the Kansas City Royals, giving up seven runs and eight hits in two innings Friday against Texas.

Yes, it’s only spring training.

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Looking back: On this day in 2000, his 28th birthday, Shaquille O’Neal scored an NBA season-high 61 points and grabbed 23 rebounds in leading the Lakers to a 123-103 victory over the Clippers. It was the 52nd time in NBA history that a player had scored 60 or more points.

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Trivia answer: Rafer Johnson, the 1960 champion, is from Kingsburg, about 25 miles north of Tulare on Highway 99.

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And finally: Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel, on Jose Canseco’s offer to take a lie-detector test if it’s on pay-per-view: “If this happens, the first question on the test should be: ‘Do you believe everyone who paid to watch this is a moron?’ ”

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Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.