Two students are sitting at a table in the media center talking.

Student 1: Hey, did you hear they clocked a pitcher during spring training throwing a 120 mile per hour
fast ball. That’s so fast you probably can’t even see the ball.

Student 2: That doesn’t sound right. Where did you hear that?

Student 1: It was in an e-mail my aunt forwarded me. It even said it was an article from Sports
Illustrated.

Student 2: Was there a link to the article? Did you click it?

Student 1: No. My aunt wouldn’t lie to me.

Student 2: I’m not saying she’s lying to you. People fall for fake forwarded e-mails all the time. Let’s
check it out. When did the article say this happened?

Student 1: About a month ago. Why?

Student 2: We can check out the most recent issues of Sports Illustrated and see if we see that article. If
it’s not there, we’ll know that at least part of that e-mail is wrong.

Cut to students standing at magazine rack. They’re both holding magazines.

Student 1: I can’t believe it. There’s not a single mention of that in either of these magazines.

Student 2: That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, though. It just means that it either wasn’t in Sports
Illustrated or wasn’t when the e-mail said it was.

Student 1: You’d think if it happened a month ago that Sports Illustrated would have written about it.
120 miles per hour is a pretty big deal.

Student 2: Let’s see what books the library has that may help us out.

Cut to students standing in front of circulation desk.

Student 1: Mrs. Ernst. We’re trying to find out if anyone has ever thrown for 120 miles per hour in
baseball. We can’t find the article in the magazine that was supposed to have it.

Mrs. Ernst: Well, we do have the Guinness Book of World Records. We also have several books about
baseball in the library. Those may very well give you some ideas.

Montage of Mrs. Ernst and students collecting books and putting them table. Then Students reading.
Perhaps sped up.

Student 1: The Guinness Book of World Records says that the fastest official pitch was 100.9 by Nolan
Ryan. That’s not even close to 120.
Student 2: This book mentions several pitchers who have unofficially thrown faster than that, but all the
times are in the low 100s. 120 doesn’t seem right at all now. Hey, you’re a pitcher, aren’t you?

Student 1: Yeah, why?

Student 2: This book has an entire chapter about technique for throwing a faster and more accurate
fastball.

Student 1: Cool, mind if I take a look?

Students 2: (sliding over the book) Hey, I’m going to check online to see if maybe this just happened too
recently to make any print sources. I’ll be right back.

Student 1: (already engrossed in book) Um hum.

Cuts to student two typing away at the computer looking up something. Clicks around on a webpage
(not seen) and with a click that shows some finality, pulls back from the computer, stands and walks off
screen. Cut back to Student 1 who is still reading as Student 2 walks back to the table.

Student 2: Yep, the only references to a 120 mile-per-hour pitch I could find were on a site called
Snopes.com that debunks internet hoaxes. That e-mail was a fake after all.

Student 1: I don’t even care anymore. Did you realize that part of my throwing motion has been wasting
speed on my pitches? This book could really help me impress the college scouts next season. I’m going
to have to check this one out and take it home.

Student 2: I didn’t even think you knew how to open a book.

Student 1: I didn’t think there were books like this to open.

Fade to black.