Recording The Game For Later? Good Luck Being Surprised.

Those who are trying to tape, Tivo, or DVR the Phillies' playoff games for later viewing better get used to the fact that technology will likely ruin the surprises.

Suppose you can't watch the Phillies' games in real time and you want to record it for later viewing.  Is it realistic to expect that someone or something won't spoil the ending for you?

No, says Larry Litwin, associate professor of public relations at Rowan University. Today's technology, he says, especially phone apps, makes it almost impossible.

And, Litwin points out, people are going to share the good news:

"So if you can do it on a bus or let's say in a movie theatre where people are taking a peek at the phone, don't think they're going to keep that a secret.  Because as that game ends, people are going to yell in the movie theatre."

Basically, the news travels too fast now:

"With tweets and these alerts and now with the phones such as a Blackberry or an iPhone, people subscribe with an app, and then they get an alert and it's almost a constant play-by-play that comes in while the game is going on.  You're going to hear the score even if you don't want to."

Reported by Karin Phillips, KYW Newsradio.

Photo illustration by Ed Fischer