Chase Utley will make his first visit to the disabled list in 2013 with an oblique strain, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.

We spoke yesterday about the potential for Utley to visit the DL following him being removed from the lineup on Tuesday due to a pain in his right side, and Thursday's MRI confirmed what many already suspected.

The good news is that the strain is not nearly as bad as it could be, meaning that Utley's stay on the disabled list could be a short one. He could return to the lineup as early as June 6.

Freddy Galvis is the likely to take over his spot on the field and in the lineup, the the Phillies will be making a move to bring up a minor league player to fill out the roster. Given the need for infield depth, the most likely candidate seems to be IF/OF Michael Martinez, with both IF Pete Orr and IF Cesar Martinez as potential replacements.

The 34-year-old Utley was hitting .272/.339/.475 with seven homers in 158 at bats.

In other organizational news, the Phillies recalled RP Michael Stutes from AAA Lehigh Valley on Thursday, and sent down RP Phillippe Aumont.

Aumont, whom this blogger predicted to be a key reliever in 2013, has struggled so far this season, with a 4.15 ERA and 10 walks in 13 innings of work. While he has continued to strike out batters at a good rate (15 K), he's done more harm than good in the middle innings.

Stutes, who proved to be a valuable reliever during his rookie season in 2011, suffered a shoulder injury in 2012 that would cost him the remainder of the season. In 27 innings with the Iron Pigs, the 26-year-old right-hander has a 3.33 ERA and 25 strikeouts.

Sochi's anti-doping director says 2,500 drug tests will be conducted at next year's Winter Olympics, about 350 more than at the 2010 Games in Vancouver.

Alexei Slautin, head of Sochi's anti-doping section, said in a statement Thursday on the Russian Sports Ministry's web site that another 600 tests are planned for the Paralympics.

The World Anti-Doping Agency says 2,149 tests were done at the previous winter games.

In all, the Sochi Games will have 13 doping control stations -- 10 at competition sites and three in the athletes villages.

The Miami Heat opened the Eastern Conference Finals with a dramatic overtime win, securing victory at the buzzer in overtime on a LeBron James layup.

With 2.2 seconds to go, James took an inbounds pass from Shane Battier and made a beeline for the rim to hit the final shot, making it a 103-102 win over the Indiana Pacers.

James notched his ninth career playoff triple double with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.

PHOTOS: Heat Top Pacers in Game 1

"Two teams fought hard," James said. "We were able to make one more play."

Dwyane Wade scored 19 points, Chrish Bosh had 17 points, and Chris "Birdman" Andersen scored 16 points off the bench.

Seconds after Ray Allen missed one of two free throws that could have iced the game, Paul George forced overtime when he hit a 3-pointer from 32 feet with under a second to go in the fourth quarter.

He also appeared to give the Pacers a win in overtime when he drew a questionable foul call on Dwayne Wade while throwing up a desperation 3-pointer. He hit all three free throws to give the Pacers a one-point lead, but the reigning MVP made sure it would not last.

George scored 27 points, David West scored 26, and Roy Hibbert had 19 with 9 rebounds for Indiana.

Complete Miami Heat Coverage

Quizzically, Pacers coach Frank Vogel benched Hibbert on defense in the final two Heat possessions, likely fearing he would not be able to defend an outside shot from Chris Bosh. In both possessions, James drove to the hoop for go-ahead buckets.

"I would say we would probably have him in next time," Vogel said.

Early on it looked like the Pacers had lulled Miami into the kind of defensive slugfest that would normally favor Indiana. They led 42-37 at the half, forcing 13 Heat turnovers limiting James' and Bosh's minutes due to foul trouble.

Miami picked it up in the second half with a healthy dose of Andersen. Playing in a big lineup alongside Chris Bosh for stretches, he got multiple easy baskets at the rim by sneaking up on Hibbert on the weak side.

"Welcome to the Eastern Conference finals," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Back and forth the whole way."

The Heat were out-rebounded by Indiana 43-38, but Miami had 16 offensive rebounds, including one in the final minute of overtime when Bosh made a putback (only his second rebound of the game) and got fouled, tying the game on the ensuing free throw.

"We're excited about the win," James said. "But we have to get better going into Game 2.

 The series continues with Game 2 on Friday night in Miami.

Brian Urlacher will not play for another team in the 2013 season.

The sure-bet hall of fame middle linebacker released a post on the social media site WhoSay.com letting fans know that he will be ending his career as a Bear.

"After spending a lot of time this spring thinking about my NFL future, I have made a desicion," he wrote.

Urlacher, 34, played 13 seasons for Chicago, earning numerous honors including Defensive Player of the Year in 2005 and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2000. Urlacher was selected to 8 Pro Bowls.

The defensive stalwart parted ways with the team shortly after the free agency period began. Bears General Manager Phil Emery offered Urlacher a deal that amounted to just over the veteran minimum to stay with the club, Urlacher declined the offer and moved on.

See the statement below.

History will have to wait at least one more year.

Orb, the Kentucky Derby champion who many hoped would become the first Triple Crown winner in 35 years, finished fourth in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, as 15-1 longshot Oxbow pulled off a surprise wire-to-wire win at Pimlico.

"It's so special," said Oxbow jockey Gary Stevens, who came out of retirement this year at age 50. "We were kind of flying under the radar after the Derby. Didn't get a lot of respect."

Oxbow trainer D. Wayne Lukas seemed to take pleasure from dashing Orb's Triple Crown hopes.

"I get paid to spoil dreams," Lukas said.

Orb's fate may have been sealed days before the race, when he drew the No. 1 post position along the rail -- only two horses have won the Preakness from that position over the last 63 years. Sure enough, Orb got boxed in against the rail by a pack of horses early in the race, and could never find room to break free.

Meanwhile, Oxbow pulled ahead of the pack and never relinquished the lead.

"When I hit the half-mile pole, I just said, 'Are you kidding me, is this happening?'" said Stevens, who worked for NBC as a racing analyst during his seven-year retirement.

Oxbow finished the 1 3/16th-mile race in 1:57.54. Itsmyluckyday finished second, Mylute finished third and Orb, the 3-5 favorite, finished fourth.

But nobody ever gave Oxbow a serious threat.

It's a landmark win for Lukas: Oxbow's Preakness victory marks the trainer's 14th Triple Crown win, the most ever. He's won the Preakness six times, and the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont four times each. He passed James Fitzsimmons, who has won 13 Triple Crown races.

Jockey Gary Stevens has now notched three wins apiece at the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont over his career.

Oxbow's win means the Triple Crown drought continues.

In the lead-up to the Preakness, Orb seemed like a prime candidate to end that drought, and bettors made him a heavy favorite. His breathtaking late push in the Kentucky Derby had people believing: He emerged from the back of the pack down the stretch, blew past a large group of horses and pulled away from the pack for a dominant win. Combined with a pedigree to make race fans drool -- his blood lines includes two Triple Crown winners, Seattle Slew (1977) and Secretariat (1973) -- many thought the three-year-old colt would take a place among the horse-racing elite.

Instead, he'll become another in a long line of almosts and what-ifs. Only 11 horses have won the Triple Crown, and none since Affirmed in 1978.

Orb wasn't the only one trying to make history on Saturday who came up short in Baltimore.

Rosie Napravnik, the jockey riding Mylute, hoped to become the first female jockey to win the race. Instead Mylute finished in third place.

Kevin Krigger, the jockey riding Goldencents, hoped to become the first African-American jockey to win the race since 1898. He too came up short as Goldencents finished in fifth place.

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade granted a South Florida teen's wish and showed up at her senior prom on Friday.

Nicole Muxo said that she was called up to the dance floor, where she was told that Wade was on the phone.

“So I talked to him on the phone, and as I was talking to him the doors opened and he walked out and I was completely shocked, I had no idea that he was going to even call," said Muxo, who attends Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School in West Kendall. "So I was super-excited, everyone else was super-excited in there.”

Photos show Wade taking pics with the teen and others before the prom at the La Jolla Ballroom in Coral Gables. He also was snapped at the dance.

Muxo said Wade brought her flowers and then they danced.

Wade tweeted about the prom and shared photos on Twitter.

"I had a blast at Prom w @nicole_muxo... Never be 2 scared to ask.. They might just say… " Wade Tweeted.

Muxo thanked the NBA player for coming by.

"It meant a lot to me. It made my dreams come true," she said.

Initially Wade had said he wasn't aware of the YouTube video, in which Muxo makes her pitch to the NBA superstar while wearing a No 3. Wade jersey. Kanye West's "The Glory" plays in the background.

WATCH the YouTube video here.

"My senior prom is coming up, and I have everything set for a perfect night except for one thing: a perfect date," she says.

In the video she called Wade her favorite basketball player and used signs and "Prom?" written on basketballs to ask Wade to the big event.

Muxo had told NBC 6 South Florida she asked out Wade because he's her favorite player and because he's a positive role model for a lot of people.

It wasn't the first time she asked him out.

"Back when I met him last year, I asked him to Homecoming, but the season was about to start, and he had practice, so he couldn’t make it, so I thought, why not take another shot and ask him to prom?” she said.

All eyes will be on Orb Saturday afternoon when the Kentucky Derby champion takes his post at the Preakness Stakes, aiming to win the second leg of the elusive Triple Crown.

The colt's resounding victory at the Derby, marked by a surge of power in the final stretch, has fueled hopes for the first Triple Crown triumph since 1978, when Affirmed won the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

Orb, the even-money favorite at Pimlico, will either dash those hopes or move one step closer to the coveted crown.

For fans hoping to see the first Triple Crown in decades, there are plenty of reasons for optimism. In the Derby, on May 4, Orb handily beat five of the eight horses he will take on in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness Stakes. Since then, his performance in training has earned stellar reviews.

Hall of Fame trainer Claude R. "Shug" McGaughey called Orb's workout at Belmont earlier this week "breathtaking," "spectacular" and even better than his performance leading up to the Derby, according to the Associated Press. The colt ran four furlongs in 47.18 seconds and five furlongs in 59.54.

But the widespread optimism was dampened just days later when Orb drew the rail, or No. 1 post—a position that has launched only two Preakness victors since 1950. Running from that position, other horses could crowd Orb against the rail, making it difficult for Orb to find room to maneuver to the head of the pack.

"Obviously, if I was going to pick it out, I wouldn't have picked the 1," McGaughey told the AP when the positions were drawn. "But with only nine horse in there to run a mile and three-sixteenths, with a rider like Joel (Rosario), he's going to figure out what to do. He'll have him in the right spot."

The shorter race could also favor some of the horses that faded at the end of the mile-and-a-quarter Derby. Goldencents—partially owned by Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino— was one of the favorites heading into the Kentucky Derby, but finished 17th in a field of 19 horses. That performance hasn't deterred bettors from putting their money on the colt in the Preakness. Heading into the race he's among the four favorites, with 8-1 morning line odds.

Mylute, who has 5-1 odds after placing fifth in the Kentucky Derby, is another Preakness favorite. The horse will be ridden by rising star Rosie Napravnik, who will be the third female jockey ever to compete in the Preakness Stakes. She heads into the weekend with more wins than any other jockey posting for the race, besides Joel Rosario, who will be riding Orb.

Departing, who skipped the Derby, could also pose a threat to the even-money favorite. The horse arrives at Pimlico with four wins this year, including a big victory two weeks ago at the Illinois Derby, where he managed to pull ahead of the pack and finish by 3 1/4 lengths.

Govenor Charlie, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, and Titletown Five, co-owned by Packers Hall of Famers Paul Hornung and Willie Davis, will also make their Triple Crown debuts in the second leg of the contest.

Govenor Charlie, who descends from the 1998 Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet, has 12-1 odds, while Titletown Five is a much longer shot. Despite his 30-1 odds, Titletown Five's trainer D. Wayne Lukas still has a decent chance to taste victory. The Hall of Fame trainer has two other horses in the race— Oxbow and Will Take Charge.

The $1 million race begins at 6:20 p.m. and will be streamed live on NBC Live Extra beginning at 4:30 p.m.

If Orb wins, he'll race for the Triple Crown at Belmont on June 8. Twenty-two horses have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, but only 11 have won all three. 

Eagles starting offensive lineman Evan Mathis has never strayed far from controversy even calling fans "idiots" for wanting former Eagles coach Andy Reid fired.

This time Mathis’ anger was geared towards the Internal Revenue Service.

Per Pro Football Talk:

Like most if not all Americans, Eagles offensive lineman Evan Mathis doesn’t like it.  Unlike most if not all Americans, Mathis has opted to make his views known, in an entertaining way.

“Audit This,” tweeted Mathis as he posted an Instagram photo making it look as if he's urinating on the sign for the IRS’ offices.

In the midst of a federal scandal involving the IRS’ treatment of Tea party and other right-wing non-profit groups Mathis’ photo created plenty of chatter online even getting its own Mashable writeup along with plenty of comments and retweets.

The most interesting aspect of the photo however could be the boot on Mathis’ left leg confirming an earlier CSNPhilly.com report that Mathis would miss the Eagles recent OTAs after ankle surgery.

For a while there, it looked as if the Preakness was shaping up to be a runaway victory for Kentucky Derby winner Orb.

Then came the post-position draw. Suddenly things got very interesting.

Orb's pursuit of the Triple Crown received an unexpected jolt Wednesday when trainer Shug McGaughey's horse drew the rail for Saturday's race. McGaughey tried to brush off the development as a mere inconvenience, but he couldn't entirely mask his disappointment over starting inside eight other horses in the smallest Preakness field since 2007.

"Obviously, if I was going to pick it out, I wouldn't have picked the 1," McGaughey said. "But with only nine horses in there to run a mile and three-sixteenths, with a rider like Joel (Rosario), he's going to figure out what to do. He'll have him in the right spot."

That's the plan. Yet, if Orb doesn't get in front early, he risks becoming pinned on the rail or pushed to the back of the field. The inside post is even worse in the Derby, where this year there were 19 horses in the field.

"If it had come out the 1 in the Derby, you'd almost have felt like you needed to go home," McGaughey said. "But I don't feel that way here."

Still, history suggests Orb's advantage in this race has dwindled, even though he was made the even-money favorite in the morning line. Only twice since 1950 has a horse won from the No. 1 post — Bally Ache in 1960 and Tabasco Cat in 1994.

So the rest of the field has a little bit more hope than it did before Orb got stuck on the rail.

"Out of the nine numbers, the 1 is probably the one you want the least," said Al Stall Jr., the trainer of Departing.

Mylute, who will start from the No. 5 post as the second-favorite at 5-1, trailed Orb for much of the race in Kentucky. This race could develop quite differently with Orb inside.

"We need to make up three or four lengths, and that may be one of the factors that helps us," said Todd Quast, general manager of GoldMark Farm, co-owner of the Derby's fifth-place finisher.

Soon after the draw ended, Mylute jockey Rosie Napravnik said on Twitter, "Perfect draw! super excited!

Quast said, "We're ecstatic about it. With this horse, it doesn't matter as much, but it sure is nice being inside, a little bit toward the middle, and then having Orb inside us and Departing inside us, the two big threats. It's great to be outside of them."

Departing, a bay gelding, won the Grade III Illinois Derby on April 20 and skipped the Kentucky Derby because Stall did not think the horse was ready. The trainer thinks it might be an advantage at the Preakness.

"In this day and age, the modern thoroughbred seems to like a little time in-between races. I don't know why," Stall said. "So we're fortunate enough to have 28 days between the Illinois Derby and now. It gave us time to improve and he really has improved. You can see it on a day-to-day basis when you train him."

Stall is among those who believe the rail won't be a hindrance to Orb.

"The post doesn't really matter in this type of race, this type of track with a nine-horse field," he said. "It's just a good party to come to."

Orb won the Derby by 2½ lengths and has won five straight races, so he's certainly worth of being the favorite in spite of his starting position.

"I don't know that the rail's all that bad," said Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who has three horses in the race: Oxbow, Will Take Charge and Titletown Five. "Orb is still the one to beat."

The field, from the rail, with odds in parenthesis: Orb (1-1), Goldencents (8-1), Titletown Five (30-1), Departing (6-1), Mylute (5-1), Oxbow (15-1), Will Take Charge (12-1), Govenor Charlie (12-1) and Itsmyluckyday (10-1).

Lukas was delighted with the post positions drawn by his trio of entrants.

"I love mine. I thought it was real good," he said. "Oxbow for a change got inside a little bit. He'll be forwardly placed. We shouldn't have any trouble. I'm going to have to come up with a different excuse when we get beat."

In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings last month, a number of security policies will be in effect at Saturday's Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, raceway officials said.

Security agents will be wanding all attendees, with all camera bags, purses and containers entering Pimlico Race Course grounds to be searched upon entry.

Backpacks, duffel bags, coolers and or thermoses will be prohibited.

For the fifth year in a row, attendees are prohibited from bringing their own alcoholic beverages to the infield. Faced with dangerous drunkenness in the past, Pimlico now controls all alcohol sales.

Those in the grandstands will be allowed to bring beverages in clear plastic containers, no larger than 18" by 18". Food must also be in clear containers or clear plastic bags no larger than 12" by 12".

Other items banned from the grandstand, clubhouse and infield include:

• Laser lights or pointers, cameras with lenses more than 6" long, cameras over 35mm, camcorders, tripods, tents, balloons or balls, fireworks, mace or pepper spray, grills,
  umbrellas, weapons, wagons, non-folding or folding metal chairs, ladders, scaffolding or other raised devices

Items allowed on the grandstand, clubhouse or infield include:

• Beach blankets (infield only), suntan lotion, beach tote bags, cell phones, tablets, cameras, binoculars, purses and lightweight aluminum or plastic lawn chairs (infield only)

The Preakness Stakes — the second leg of the Triple Crown — will be held May 18 at 4:30 p.m.

The halls of Grand Central Terminal Wednesday were echoing with curious chants and cheers from an international wrestling match.

Wrestlers from the world's top teams — Russia, the U.S. and Iran — faced off in the iconic train station's Vanderbilt Hall for Rumble on the Rails, an event aimed at raising funds for a New York City wrestling program and raising the profile of a sport fighting to get off the Olympic chopping block.

Earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee recommended that wrestling, a fixture on the Olympic docket since the first modern Games, be cut from the Summer Olympics beginning in 2020. Since then, wrestling organizers have been working to promote the sport ahead of a final vote.

"We're all working together for the same reasons," Olympic wrestling champion and pro wrestler Kurt Angle said from the event, adding that wrestling fans have to help advocate for the sport.

"Let your politicians know how much wrestling means to you," he said. "It means everything to me."

Scores of spectators crowded into the makeshift arena, concealed from ticketless commuters and passersby by a heavy black curtain. Supporters of team Iran waved flags, blew horns and chanted for the dominant group, which beat the Americans 6-1 in their first visit to the U.S. in a decade.

Reza Shaibani, a real-estate developer from Long Island, was among a group of Iranian-Americans who came to support Iran's wrestling team and the endangered sport itself.

"I hope it stays in the Olympics," he said. "This is one of the greatest sports, the most ancient sports in the world."

Four-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake, from Ithaca, N.Y., was the only American to win a match against Iran. He defeated Hassan Tahmasebi 2-0, 1-0 in his first major international event on the senior level.

But the Americans fared far better against the Russians, winning eight of their nine matches against Russia. That streak began with the men's freestyle team sweeping all five of its matches; afterward, the U.S. women's freestyle team won, too, and the Americans also won two of the three Greco-Roman matches.

The event raised money for Beat the Streets, a group that organizes youth wrestling programs for school-aged kids in New York City.

The competitions come just two weeks before representatives from the eight sports vying for addition to the Summer Olympic lineup make their cases for inclusion at an IOC meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia. Officials from wrestling, baseball/softball, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu will all be competing for one open slot in the 2020 Games.

The IOC said its decision to drop wrestling came after analysis of more than three dozen criteria, including ticket sales, TV ratings, global participation and popularity. FILA, the sport's international governing board, issued a statement in February calling the decision an "aberration" and vowing to convince the IOC of its error.

Since then, the U.S., Russia and Iran have formed an alliance for their common cause.

"We'll be standing arm-in-arm with Iran, and we'll be standing with Russia as we will with lots of other countries," Mitch Hull, national teams director for USA Wrestling, told AP Television News in February. "Those (countries) really do make a difference because politically we're not always on the same page, or politically with Russia, but in wrestling, there's no doubt that we are all together in this effort."

The IOC's executive board will make its final decision on the matter at a meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina in September.

Shug McGaughey worked as a trainer for more than 30 years before finally saddling his first Kentucky Derby winner.

It was worth the wait.

Speaking at Pimlico Race Course, where he will seek to win the Preakness with Orb, the 62-year-old McGaughey said, "I always said I wish I won the Derby when I was young so I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. I'm not sure that's true now. If I had won in '89 with Easy Goer, I don't know if I'd appreciate it as much as I did this past Saturday."

McGaughey and his horse have attracted much attention this week, for good reason. Coming off his solid win at Churchill Downs on May 4, Orb is in position to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

With a victory, McGaughey can add a Preakness win to his suddenly blossoming resume. The last time he was a participant in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, Easy Goer lost to Sunday Silence by a nose in 1989.

"As soon as I got here, it all came back to me — where I needed to be, where I was going," he said. "I feel like I'm back on familiar ground, and I'm tickled to death to be here."

McGaughey sent Orb to Baltimore from New York by van on Monday and was delighted to see his horse make a quick adjustment to his new surroundings.

"He had a lot of energy. I walked him a few turns and had to give him up," McGaughey said Tuesday. "So far, so good. I worried a little bit (Monday) coming down here. But I'm glad we got in here while it's still good and quiet and got settled in. He had a good night and a nice morning. Everything is good."

__

BAFFERT NEARS DECISION: It appears as if Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will enter Govenor Charlie in the Preakness.

After the horse ran well over six furlongs on Monday at Churchill Downs, Baffert said Tuesday, "He came of his work really, really well. We are prepared to go."

Baffert is at home in California this week and has been receiving reports from Kentucky on the colt from his longtime assistant, Jimmy Barnes.

Govenor Charlie did not run in the Kentucky Derby because of a minor foot bruise that caused him to miss training time in April. The injury no longer appears to be an issue.

Baffert has until Wednesday morning to make a decision, but he said, "Unless he shows me something, it's pretty likely he'll be on that plane."

___

FIRST SINCE 1898?: The last time an African-American jockey won the Preakness was in 1898, when Willie Simms reached the finish line aboard Sly Fox.

Kevin Krigger has a chance to be the next, on Goldencents this Saturday.

"The media actually is paying more attention to it than I am because I really don't have time to worry about that," Krigger said. "I'm focused here on getting Goldencents in the Preakness winner's circle."

Krigger will be the first African-American to ride in the Preakness since Wayne Barnett, who finished eighth on Sparrowvon in 1985.

O.J. Simpson testified Wednesday in court -- something he did not do during his 1995 murder trial or 2008 robbery-kidnapping case -- that guns were never "a subject" during discussions leading up to a Las Vegas hotel room raid that led to the former NFL Hall of Famer's conviction and prison sentence.

Simpson testified Wednesday about the 2007 raid and his relationship with the trial attorney Yale Galanter, who is the key figure in this week's hearing that might go a long way in determining whether Simpson spends the rest of his life in prison. Simpson wants a new trial because he says his longtime lawyer failed to disclose that he knew about the hotel room raid in advance, told Simpson it was legal and provided bad advice at trial.

Simpson, 65, repeated his assertion Wednesday that he was not aware two of the men who accompanied him on a mission to retrieve the sports memorabilia at the Palace Station hotel had guns. He testified that he just needed "a couple of big guys" to help carry items from the hotel.

"I don't need security," Simpson said he told others involved in the conversation.

He was asked by his co-counsel whether he ever asked the men to bring weapons.

"No, never was a subject," he replied.

Several of the questions from Simpson co-counsel Patricia Palm addressed his consumption of alcohol on the night before and day of the raid. Simpson was in Las Vegas for a wedding and the memorabilia dealers were "essentially, down the street," he said.

"I wouldn't have gotten behind the wheel of a car," Simpson said of his activities the night before the raid. "I'm in Las Vegas with a lot of friends. We were in a very celebrative mood."

He started drinking alcohol again the next day at the Palms hotel, Simpson said. That's when plans to retrieve the memorabilia were discussed, he said.

Galanter gained an acquittal for Simpson in a 2000 Florida road rage case, but Simpson testified Wednesday that he socialized with Galanter, such as going out to dinner. It was at one of those dinners that Galanter and Simpson discussed the recovery of the sports memorabilia, including autographed footballs and framed photos.

The former USC Trojans star and Heisman trophy winner said the items went missing after his acquittal in the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Simpson testified Wednesday that once he learned the collection included family photos, he wanted them back.

"That's when I got interested," Simpson said.

Simspon was asked why he thought his actions to retrieve the items were legal.

"It was my stuff," he responded.

Crowds at the courthouse had been small, unlike the 1995 murder trial in Los Angeles and the 2008 robbery and kidnapping trials, until Wednesday. A court marshal turned people away, sending more than 15 people to an overflow room where video was streamed live.

During Tuesday's testimony, attorney Gabriel Grasso said he was contacted to work on the robbery-kidnap case and believed Galanter did not spend enough money to win an acquittal.

"I was under the impression that we were operating on a shoestring," Grasso said Tuesday. "There were no experts to be had. We didn't have any money to hire experts."

He also told the court he thought Simpson should have testified at trial.

"I had the distinct feeling that O.J. had to testify in this case," Grasso said. "That was our only shot."

The sports memorabilia dealer in the hotel room during the raid told NBC4 he believes Simpson was a "pawn." Bruce Fromong said one of the men pointed a gun to his head and told him he would be shot if he did not cooperate.

"O.J. was stupid that night," said Fromong. "In many ways, O.J. Simpson was a pawn just as I was."

The new challenge follows the Nevada Supreme Court's denial of Simpson's 2010 appeal, also handled by Galanter. Simpson's new attorney filed the writ of habeas corpus in May 2012, seeking her client's release from prison and reversal of the conviction.

He has already served four years in prison, but must serve nine of the maximum 33-year sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Simpson has appeared in court in blue prison clothes and shackles, although the judge Tuesday allowed him to uncuff his right hand so he could take notes during testimony.

Four Simpson co-defendants pleaded guilty to felonies and testified for the prosecution. A fifth defendant, Clarence "C.J.'' Stewart, was convicted and served more than two years in prison before the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that Simpson's fame tainted Stewart's conviction.

A judge eventually ruled that the items should be delivered to Simpson's civil case attorney.

A former OJ Simpson defense attorney testified that he wanted to put the former NFL Hall of Fame running back on the stand during a trial that ended with his conviction on robbery and kidnapping charges stemming from a 2007 hotel room raid in Las Vegas.

Timeline: OJ Simpson in Court

But attorney Gabriel Grasso told the court that it was another defense attorney, Yale Galanter, who was obsessed with cutting expenses to the detriment of Simpson's defense during the 2008 trial. During his first day of testimony Monday, Grasso said Galanter "controlled the purse strings."

"I was under the impression that we were operating on a shoestring," Grasso said Tuesday. "There were no experts to be had. We didn't have any money to hire experts."

The court proceeding called a writ of habeas corpus examines how Galanter handled the trial that led to Simpson's robbery and kidnapping conviction. Attorneys for the former USC Trojan are arguing this week in a Las Vegas courtroom that Simpson's conviction should be tossed.

The money spent on Simpson's defense was not Grasso's only criticism of Galanter.

"I had the distinct feeling that OJ had to testify in this case," Grasso said. "That was our only shot."

Simpson is expected to testify later this week, possibly Wednesday. He wants a new trial because he says his longtime lawyer Galanter failed to disclose that he knew about the hotel room raid in advance, told Simpson it was legal and provided bad advice at trial.

"If it really did happen, I would hope that OJ gets a new trial," said attorney Eric Brent Bryson, who represented one of Simpson's co-defendants. "If not, I would really feel sorry for Mr. Galanter getting drug through the mud like this."

Simpson, in prison since his conviction about four years ago, appeared in court wearing blue prison clothes and shackles. Simpson was allowed to have one hand uncuffed Tuesday, allowing him to take drinks of water and write notes on a legal pad.

The 65-year-old former Heisman trophy winner appeared weary as he listened to attorneys argue over issues that could determine whether he spends the remainder of his life in prison. He has already served four years in prison, but must serve nine of the maximum 33-year sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Simpson's daughter Arnelle and Grasso were among the first witnesses to testify in the proceeding.

Simpson's attorneys must prove that his trial lawyers botched the 2008 trial, stemming from a confrontation at the Palace Station hotel. Simpson has claimed he was not aware two of the five men with him brought guns during the caper, which involved sports memorabilia dealers who Simpson thought had personal belongings he lost following his acquittal in 1995 in the slaying of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

Crowds at the courthouse Monday morning were small, unlike the 1995 murder trial in Los Angeles and the 2008 robbery and kidnapping trials.

The new challenge follows the Nevada Supreme Court's denial of Simpson's 2010 appeal, also handled by Galanter. Simpson's new attorney filed the writ of habeas corpus in May 2012, seeking her client's release from prison and reversal of the conviction.

As for the sports memorabilia that was the subject of the hotel room raid, the items were delivered to Simpson's civil case attorney.

Orb is ready.

The Kentucky Derby winner put in his final workout before the Preakness, breezing four furlongs in 47.18 seconds, galloping out five furlongs in 59.54 and delighting trainer Shug McGaughey.

"I thought it was breathtaking," McGaughey said Monday morning.

With exercise rider Jennifer Patterson aboard, Orb seemed to move effortlessly around the track on a clear, sunny day. In fact, McGaughey called it more impressive than the colt's workout before he won the Derby by 2½ lengths on May 4.

"For him to go off nice and relaxed in 24 and change and come home on his own the way he did, and gallop out the way he did, and drop his head and walk home, it sent cold chills up my back," the Hall of Fame trainer said.

After cooling down and receiving a sponge bath, Orb was loaded onto a van headed to Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. A win in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness on Saturday would set up a Triple Crown try in the Belmont Stakes on June 8. The last Triple Crown winner was Affirmed in 1978.

McGaughey wasn't concerned with the fast fractions, which come nine days after running 1¼ miles in the Derby.

"I think it's a tribute to the way he came out of the Derby, and to come back and be able to have a work like that and do it the way he did it — I couldn't be more thrilled," he said. "Right now I'm on cloud nine. The way he was striding today, the way he held his leads through the lane, I thought it was spectacular."

Orb, owned by the Phipps Stable and Stuart Janney III, takes a five-race winning streak in the Preakness, where he will face what look to be nine challengers. Among them are Derby runners Mylute (fifth), Oxbow (sixth), Will Take Charge (eighth), Itsmyluckyday (15th) and Goldencents (17th). Also set for the race is Departing, winner of the Illinois Derby.

"I think it's formidable," McGaughey said. "I know that Oxbow made a good run in the Derby. I never really kind of sat down and watched it and pinned it down. The other horse (Will Take Charge) got in some trouble. You've got to respect Departing coming in there off his race in the Illinois Derby and being relatively fresh. My main concern is just trying to get Orb over there the best way we possibly can and if he runs his race I think they'll know he's in there."