O.J. Simpson's attorney sought to show Friday that the former football great confronted two memorabilia dealers with only one goal: to recover personal mementoes he believed were stolen. Collectibles broker Tom Riccio testifed under cross-examination that Simpson appeared to ignore other items such as lithographs of football great Joe Montana and items autographed by baseball stars Pete Rose and Duke Snider. "I don't think he had any interest in any of that," Riccio said.

"Mr. Simpson never said, 'I want to steal some Pete Rose baseballs?'" Simpson attorney Yale Galanter asked.

"No sir," Riccio replied, laughing.

Galanter also sought to show that Simpson made no effort to hide his plan in advance.

Riccio's testimony came during the second day of an evidentiary hearing to determine if Simpson, Clarence "C.J." Stewart and Charles Ehrlich should face armed robbery, kidnapping and other charges for the Sept. 13 hotel room encounter.

On Thursday, Riccio and memorabilia dealer Bruce Fromong testified that Simpson and several other men burst into a room at the Palace Station Hotel Casino on that day and carried off hundreds of items.

On Friday, Galanter portrayed the group's entry into the room as nothing out of the ordinary. Riccio agreed - up to a point.

"I had a key. I let them in," he said. But after the group was inside the room, the once-calm situation "went south," Riccio said.

On Thursday, the judge listened as prosecutors played a recording of the confrontation Riccio had made. On it, Simpson and others are heard screaming at the memorabilia dealers and shouting profanities.

Also Thursday, Fromong testified that Simpson took all the memorabilia he had brought to the room, which included the Montana, Rose and Snider items as well as Simpson materials. Simpson also took his cell phone, Fromong said.

Simpson, 60, and Stewart and Ehrlich, both 53, face 12 criminal charges. A conviction on the kidnapping count could result in a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. An armed robbery conviction could mean mandatory prison time.

Fromong and Riccio were the first of eight witnesses prosecutors say they expect to call before the hearing ends.

Former co-defendants Michael McClinton, Walter Alexander and Charles Cashmore are expected to testify that Simpson asked for guns to be brought along to show they were serious about retrieving the items that he claimed were his.

Simpson has maintained in interviews and through his lawyers that no guns were displayed, that he never asked anyone to bring guns and that he did not know anyone had guns.

Riccio testified Friday that Simpson did not have a gun nor did he ask any of the other men to draw a weapon, although he said he did see one of the men in the group pull a gun during the confrontation.

"Maybe you didn't see a gun but there was a gun," he said he told Simpson later.

Riccio said he set up the hotel room meeting after being contacted by memorabilia dealer Alfred Beardsley, who he said told him he had stolen O.J. Simpson memorabilia that he wanted to find a buyer for.

"He came right out and said it was stolen from OJ's trophy room. Those were his exact words," Riccio said. Other items, Riccio said Beardsley told him he had, once belonged to Simpson's late mother and were taken from a storage locker she didn't pay the bill on.

When he passed this on to Simpson, he said, the former football star was angry and put together a plan to get the materials back.

Riccio said he warned Simpson that Beardsley might not really have what he claimed. "I made it clear to O.J. that this guy's so unstable he may just be saying he had the stuff," Riccio said.

Acting at Simpson's direction, Riccio said he eventually told Beardsley he had a buyer for the items and set up a meeting to display them in Las Vegas.

He said he also contacted police and the FBI to tip them off to the plan but that they brushed him off.

"I was surprised. Zero interest, it seemed like. I was surprised and a lot disappointed," he said of the FBI's reaction.

When the day arrived, Riccio said Simpson loudly discussed his plan to take his memorabilia back as he met with friends at the pool at the Palms Hotel Casino. As Simpson went over the plan, Riccio said, numerous people approached him for photos and autographs.

"He wasn't saying it to the strangers, but he was saying it loud enough so that strangers could hear," Riccio said. "He was saying he was going to get his stuff back."

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AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.

Written By KEN RITTER