In an HD sports world, does live pale in comparison?

A few days ago I wrote of the move by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to reduce ticket prices up to 31 percent for next season. The Bucs said they were responding to the economy after failing to sell out a single home game and I said then I believe the reduction is a good idea.

I still do.

As expected, I heard from a lot of you on this subject. Most of you generally agreed with the gambit, which I guess is pretty much a no-brainer. I mean, who'd say, "No! I want to pay more!" But I also said the price break wasn't a panacea that would send everyone stampeding back to Raymond James Stadium and that got the attention of least a few of you.

One e-mail in particular on that subject stuck out and I asked its author, James Ramirez, if I could share it.

"(The) Rays have similar issues and have certainly demonstrated it has nothing to do with ticket costs. While the economy is unquestionably a factor with Bucs games, perhaps the larger problem is much simpler. The experience!" he wrote.

"Conversations around our office water fountains have indicated dissatisfaction and disappointment with the stadium experience. We are in the information age! We want ... no, demand to know what's going on! Fans are more connected to the actual events of the game through HD, instant replay and expert analysis than sitting in a seat listening to the roar of the crowd. If it's roar of the crowd you really want, select sports bars can offer you that element while still providing instant replay and expert analysis."

That triggered a thought. Last fall, I chatted with NFL spokesman Greg Aiello about the Bucs' blackout problems. I suggested the league was trying to have it both ways - making billions off television while using a blackout policy that was designed when TV sets had rabbit ears.

He responded with the argument that the NFL is focused on improving the stadium "experience." There's that word again.

When Jeff Vinik bought the Tampa Bay Lightning almost a year ago, one of his first goals was to improve the experience at the Forum. The Tampa Bay Rays began offering free postgame concerts during the summer as a lure and fans responded in such strong numbers that the Bolts started doing that too.

Are we seeing a trend here?

Our man Ramirez expanded on his theme.

"At football games, we often miss a challenge or the single replay (if they decide to show it) because someone is scooting past you, balancing a couple beers and a box of sloppy nachos. At baseball games, unless you're sitting behind the plate for several hundred bucks, there's no way you can tell whether or not a pitch is over the plate or a foot outside the box," he wrote.

"While this has always been the case for the attending fans, the fans of today are 'connected.' Remember when a large projection screen, center mounted on 747s used to be state of the art? Today each passenger has his own screen in the chair back and he can control production content."

I started thinking about that. Between the airlines' video screens at each seat and beautiful inventions like the iPad, I almost forget - almost - that my 6-foot-2 frame is folded like an accordion into an airline seat built for a 5-foot-6 body.

Ramirez went on ...

"Football fans want to know what's going on around the league and in their fantasy leagues near-real time, and they want to see replays and highlights, in HD! We want to rewind the live games (TiVo), so we can replay challenge calls and make our own decision on what the ruling should be," he wrote.

"Baseball fans want replays and 'Fox tracks' at the game! Where was that pitch?! Watching the manager argue a call from 200-300 yards away doesn't get folks fired up if they don't know what all the fuss is about. At least give us a replay!"

That's a great point. Baseball doesn't allow controversial replays to be shown on stadium boards because it might get fans riled up at umpires. I'm trying to imagine what the scene in Detroit would have been had they shown the blown call by umpire Jim Joyce that cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game last summer.

But the NFL at least does show those replays - although, as our man Ramirez said, you might be stretching to see it while drunks crawl over you and morons scream obscenities in your ear from two rows behind.

That really hits on a big theme the Bucs and all teams need to address. No matter what you pay for a ticket, you have the right to expect a good time. Most teams are taking steps to curb abusive fan behavior and so on, but it's an ongoing struggle. It's not unusual to see cops rushing toward a seating section at Ray-Jay during a Bucs game because a fight has broken out.

I've also heard a fair number of complaints about the brand of rock 'n roll baseball they present at the Trop. I guess I've gotten numb to it over the years, but the combination of cowbells, blaring music and nonstop screaming over the P.A. system can get annoying.

On the other hand, no one wants to watch a ball game in a mausoleum. The trick is finding balance and, as our astute reader Ramirez noted, to give fans the most bang for their buck.

Or Bucs.

"Modern technology and broadcasting has made the family room and sports bar experiences far superior to stadium attendance," Ramirez wrote. "It's that simple and it's cheaper."

There's no one answer that's going to address this issue and create the perfect experience for everyone. But as our correspondent here put it so well, the customer ultimately is in charge and it's up to the teams to figure out a way to make that person feel good about the value received for the ticket he just bought.