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Simpson's testimony focused largely on his athletic career, his awards, and his idyllic life with Nicole. FRED PROUSER REUTERS

The first time Petrocelli questioned Simpson, during depositions in January 1996, the lawyer had no idea that photos of Simpson wearing the shoes would surface. Nonetheless Petrocelli pushed and pushed as Simpson elaborated on his denials. "We pinned him down," said Petrocelli after the deposition. "It is a perfect illustration of how the deposition process can work. We had no photos. But Simpson lied and lied and lied. He committed himself. Whatever happened, it was important to pin him down on the lies, because we knew we would have the opportunity to confront him on the stand." He added, "There's no question that the shoes were the single most important piece of evidence in the case. And that is because they have nothing to do with the L.A.P.D. The shoes have nothing to do with race."

But how would Simpson's lawyer Robert Baker deal with conflicting statements that might arise during trial-or even new evidence? Petrocelli strategized with Gelblum and the rest of the team. They wondered if the defense, and Simpson himself when he testified, would choose to ignore unfavorable evidence. Gelblum and Petrocelli sat in an almost meditative silence for more than a few moments as they tried to anticipate the other side's moves. They had been doing this kind of thing for years, since they were night-school classmates at Southwestern University School of Law. Finally, Petrocelli said, "What can Simpson say about anything? He can't talk about the evidence; he can't refute it. He's basically gonna say, 'Listen, I won the Heisman trophy, so I didn't do this. Period.'" As it turned out, Petrocelli was right. Simpson's testimony during his lawyer's gentle questioning was largely about his athletic career, his awards and achievements and his idyllic life with Nicole.

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