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Quick Guide & Transcript: Pat Tillman death investigation, iPods vs. laptops

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(CNN Student News) -- March 27, 2007

Quick Guide

Official Report - Find out why some officials say announcements concerning an American hero's death could have been handled better.

Meet the Gyroball - Step into the bullpen to see what some are calling a new pitch and others are calling a glorified screwball.

Tech in the Classroom - Plug in to a report that examines whether MP3 players could eventually challenge laptops on college campuses.

Transcript

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DANIELLE ELIAS, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to an all-new edition of CNN Student News! I'm Danielle Elias at CNN Center. He went from football star to American hero. But new information is out about what happened, after Pat Tillman died. And some say a controversy could've been avoided. It went from an idea to an innovation. But is the "gyro ball" really a powerful pitch, or just a new spin on an old lob? And they've gone from simple music players, to complex recording devices. But are MP3 machines really ready to replace their computer cousins?

First Up: Official Report

ELIAS: Officials don't expect any criminal charges in the friendly-fire death of an American football star turned Army Ranger. But they do think information about Pat Tillman's death should've been handled better. Tillman had turned down a multi-million dollar offer to play with the Arizona Cardinals, so he could serve his country. Reba Hollingsworth looks into the difference between how his death was originally reported, and what really happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REBA HOLLINGSWORTH, CNN REPORTER: In the fourth investigation into the "friendly fire" death of Pat Tillman, a new report reveals nine military officers including four generals made critical errors in their investigations into how the pro football star turned Army Ranger died.

PETE GEREN, ACTING ARMY SECRETARY: We as an Army failed in our duty to the Tillman family. The duty we owe to all families of our fallen soldiers: give them the truth, the best we know it.

HOLLINGSWORTH: The truth, according to Defense and Army officials is that military officers suspected all along that Tillman was accidentally shot by members of his own unit in Afghanistan. But up until a month after Tillman's death they maintained he was killed in an enemy ambush.

THOMAS GIMBLE, ACTING DOD INSPECTOR GENERAL: The commander of the Army knew that friendly fire was suspected and was under investigation before he represented the Army at Corporal Tillman's memorial service. At that time he was in a position to ensure the family was notified of the friendly fire inquiry.

HOLLINGSWORTH: Military officers say they delayed releasing the information until all the facts came in. Still, investigators say they didn't follow protocol. Even though no criminal wrongdoing was found, investigators are recommending the Army take action against the officers. Tillman, who turned down a multi-million dollar football contract to serve his country, was awarded the Silver Star after his death. An honor given to those killed in enemy combat. An honor officials say he still deserves.

GEREN: He died a hero, the Silver Star stands.

HOLLINGSWORTH: For CNN Student News, I'm Reba Hollingsworth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Shoutout

RACHEL RICHARDSON, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Time for the Shoutout! Which of these pitches would you NOT expect to see in a Major League baseball park? If you think you know it, take a swing! Is it: A) Slider, B) Forkball, C) Hairpin or D) Knuckleball? You've got three seconds--GO! Of these options, you'd be least likely to hear about a "Hairpin ball," though there was an early-1900s pitcher nicknamed "the Human Hairpin" for his pinwheel pitching style. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!

Meet the Gyroball

ELIAS: Another pitch you might not have heard of: The "gyroball." That's because some say it doesn't exist, while others expect to actually to see it this year, in major league ballparks. James MacDonald traveled to the alleged pitch's birthplace to find out whether pitchers are throwing the gyroball for strikes, or just throwing fans for a loop.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES MACDONALD, CNN REPORTER: Odd delivery, strange spin, baseball players can't figure out what this is. A devastating pitch, possibly on the verge of a major league debut or little more than baseball folklore. It's called a gyroball -- a new pitch believed to be used by Japanese star and Boston Red Sox rookie Daisuke Matsuzaka.

KAZUSHI TEZUKA, GYROBALL INVENTOR (translation): There's a lot of interest in whether Matsuzaka throws a gyroball. Everyone is talking about it!

MACDONALD: And learning it. In Japan, pitchers are rushing to try out this mysterious technique. Tokyo sports trainer Kazushi Tezuka invented the gyroball, inspired by a child's toy called a "Xzylo." Tezuka perfected a way to throw it, then tried it with a baseball, and was stunned by what he saw.

TEZUKA (translation): It creates an illusion. From the batter's eye, it looks like the ball is falling but it's actually rising. Scary, isn't it?

MACDONALD: A gyroball is thrown with a spiral like an American football. It should spin like a bullet, as seen in this high speed video. The result baffles batters and at first even a scientist.

RYUTARO HIMENO, COMPUTER SCIENTIST: We can simulate the actual pitcher's pitch.

MACDONALD: Tezuka brought his secret weapon to Dr. Ryutaro Himeno, a computer scientist and aerodynamics expert.

HIMENO: I couldn't trust him (laughs) so I tried to investigate the reason.

MACDONALD: Using computer simulations, Himeno says he proved the gyroball exists. Together, they wrote their findings into a book -- "The Truth about the Miracle Pitch" -- explaining why it's so hard to hit.

HIMENO: So that makes some kind of magic ball.

MACDONALD: But not everyone believes in magic. Detractors say the gyroball is a myth. When footage appeared on YouTube allegedly showing Matsuzaka throwing a gyroball, reaction was furious. This so-called 'gyroball' is nothing more than a really good screwball. Period.

MACDONALD: Whether you believe in the gyroball or not, this pitch has been the talk of the baseball world. So we wanted to find out if a complete baseball novice could learn how to throw it. We begin by pitching small cardboard discs. Then, the motion. It's all in the hips. Is that all right? Finally, the delivery, with a specially painted ball -- the 'gyromaster'.

INSTRUCTOR: Ohhh...

MACDONALD: A frame-by-frame analysis offers the verdict.

INSTRUCTOR: You can see the red part of the ball constantly facing the catcher. That means you're getting closer to a gyroball.

MACDONALD: Joining the ranks of pitchers dreaming of becoming a Matsuzaka in the making. James MacDonald, CNN Tokyo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Order Up

RICAHRDSON: Ready to Order Up? Today's selections are CD, MP3, record, and audiotape. See if you can rank these media in the order they appeared from earliest to the most recent. Order up! IT'S C, D, A, B !!! Back in the day, most folks played their music on vinyl records. Then audiotapes came along, followed by CDs and most recently, MP3s. That completes today's order!

Tech in the Classroom

ELIAS: You probably remember what life was like before MP3 players when you actually needed CD's if you wanted music on the go. Now the next question is: Will handheld devices -- like MP3 players -- eventually make laptops go the way of the CD? Carl Azuz takes us to a campus where that idea, is getting some playback.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Walk around any college campus and those famous white earplugs seem to be everywhere. But sometimes the playlist isn't quite what you'd expect. Lectures on Computer Science instead of American Idol. Not so much Sum 41 as History 101.

Some teachers have used the audio iPod in their lessons, but at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Professor Jim Foley hopes to transfer his visual Web lectures to the video iPod.

PROFESSOR FOLEY, USER INTERFACE DESIGN TEACHER: The students who did Web lectures earned grades that were about 10% better. We did that already three years ago.

AZUZ: As MP3 players become essential parts of students' lives, they have the potential to rival the laptop as learning tools in the classroom. With a graduate student's help, Foley records lectures before class, so that students can raise questions when they arrive. Students from Foley's User Interface Design course say they find it valuable to review lectures when convenient.

KATHY PHAM, STUDENT IN PROFESSOR FOLEY'S USER INTERFACE DESIGN CLASS: It takes 15 minutes to walk from one side of campus to the other side of campus and to be able to just download the MP3 to my iPod and just walk across campus, that would be very beneficial.

SCOTT GILLILAND, STUDENT IN PROFESSOR FOLEY'S USER INTERFACE DESIGN CLASS: A lot of people can't always get to a full desktop computer whenever they need to listen to the lectures and its nice to be able to take them with you.

AZUZ: Although students show enthusiasm towards MP3 players, there are limitations because they're small.

FOLEY: The screen resolution is smaller and navigating between pages will be a little bit slower than on the computer because on the computer I just use the mouse . With the iPod I'll have to use the scroll wheel and scroll around.

AZUZ: Like the laptop, the MP3 player is a popular and revolutionary way to gather and disseminate information. Regardless of what teachers decide to use, players and laptops will remain allies - besides, you need a laptop to operate an iPod and vice versa. Carl Azuz, CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Promo

ELIAS: Speaking of MP3 players, if yours can play video, chances are it can play our show! And of course, your laptop or desktop can also bring you CNN Student News. Pick it up at iTunes or CNN.com/EDUCATION. Just scroll down 'til you see "PODCAST" on the right-hand side!

Before We Go

ELIAS: Before we go, some of you may quote your favorite TV show, or wear a t-shirt about it. One guy's taken the idea to a whole new galaxy! He loved "Star Trek" so much he decided to live it in a British flat modeled after the Starships Enterprise and Voyager. It's out of this world and up for sale: With $200K and an eBay account, you can bid on the chance to play Captain Kirk every day of your life.

Goodbye

ELIAS: Just don't ask us where to go for repairs! I'm Danielle Elias for CNN Student News. We'll beam you up again tomorrow.


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