Major League Baseball made the right decision not to fight the umpires over pitch counts. There was no need for a feud. Plus, the commissioner's office would have lost the battle.

The umpires have attempted to enforce the strike zone as outlined in the rule book since the beginning of the season. But they need to be given time. Going from one strike zone to another is a slow process. Increasing the pressure to adhere to a new strike zone would have made their jobs more difficult.

If an umpire thinks he has been working with the new strike zone and is then told he is not calling enough strikes, what is he supposed to do? He has to go hunting for strikes, and that would be unfortunate.

SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL

Los Angeles at Colorado 8 p.m. ET, ESPN Play-by-play: Jon Miller Analyst: Joe Morgan How is Dodgers manager Jim Tracy getting the job done? Tracy has had a calming effect. In recent years, the Dodgers have been mired in turmoil, whether it was Davey Johnson or Kevin Malone. And in Los Angeles and New York, everything is magnified. But Tracy has been a steadying influence and has allowed them to focus on baseball. Plus, interim GM Dave Wallace hasn't made any waves. In an organization, a lot of things start at the top, and the Dodgers have been much quieter since Malone left. The Dodgers have always had the pitching. Even though Darren Dreifort and Andy Ashby are out for the year and Kevin Brown has been hurt, Chan Ho Park is an All-Star performer, and Luke Prokopec and Eric Gagne have pitched capably. They also have an effective bullpen, with Jeff Shaw as the closer. All and all, the pitchers have kept the team winning and contending in the NL West. Paul Lo Duca has been a solid addition to the offense. The Dodgers have gone without much production from Eric Karros, who has been hurt and hasn't had a typical season. But the Dodgers are in good shape for the second half if they can get Brown back and Karros returns to form. Also, Adrian Beltre, who started late, should heat up as the season progresses. The Dodgers have a lot to look forward to.

By bringing up pitch counts in the first place, Sandy Alderson, executive vice president of baseball operations, may have tried to show that he is the boss. Later, though, he said he was just trying to make sure the umpires called the strike zone. Well, pitch count doesn't prove whether or not an umpire is calling the strike zone.

Baseball numbers, including batting averages, ERAs and other statistics, don't tell the whole story. They can be used as reinforcement but not to draw definitive conclusions. In this case, high pitch counts do not mean the umpires are shrinking the strike zone.

There could be a number of reasons for high pitch counts. Pitchers could be more erratic. Hitters could be more patient. Pitchers could be pitching around hitters, as they do with Barry Bonds. What about high-scoring games, like the 17-11 slugfest in Houston on Wednesday? There were 326 pitches thrown in the game, and it had nothing to do with the umpires. And if concerns remain about minimizing the number of slow-pitch softball scores, the real answer would be to raise the mound again.

It would be a problem if an umpire were not enforcing the strike zone. If that were the case, then someone should talk to the umpire about how he calls the game, not about his pitch count. In the meantime, the umpires are doing their best. And the effect has been noticeable. Offensive numbers have decreased, as have ERAs. Even pitch counts are down.

One can't expect the umpires to call the strike zone perfectly within three months. They will get better as the season and the years progress. It will take baby steps, not one giant leap.

How would it benefit Mike Piazza's career if he were to move to another position?
Changing positions will be up to Piazza to decide. If a player is not happy with the move, it would affect him in other areas. For now, though, Piazza is happy being a catcher and feels like that is his position. Behind the plate, Piazza is statistically the greatest hitting catcher ever. Move him to first base, and he's just a good first baseman. His numbers would not be the best ever.

I remember when there was talk about Ivan Rodriguez moving to second base. Rodriguez could be the best defensive catcher ever. But if he moved to second base, he would no longer be the best. As catchers, both players are Hall of Famers. If they changed positions, their Hall of Fame induction would be not as certain.

Johnny Bench played some third base, first base and left field at the end of his career. While he was just a good player at a different position, he was a great player as a catcher. Bench caught too many games early in his career. During his first seven full seasons, he averaged 140 games a year behind the plate. He would catch doubleheaders, something today's catchers no longer do. But that's what Bench wanted to do. He was a catcher, so he caught.

Would you rather have a short, great career or a long, mediocre one? A player is at risk of the latter scenario if he is great at one position and then decides to move to another. He may extend his career, but he could do it at the cost of being just an average player.

If Piazza and Pudge were playing first base and second base respectively this season, neither would have made the All-Star team. That reality is something both players must consider before making a position change.

Should the Atlanta Braves consider using John Smoltz as the team's closer?
That would be a difficult decision to make. The question is whether or not he would be better off as a starter throwing 130 pitches a game or a closer throwing 15 pitches every day or every other day.

A very good starting pitcher, which Smoltz was, is more valuable to a team than a closer. If he is unable to be the Smoltz of old, he may be more help to the Braves in the closer's role. But no one knows if being a closer would have more or less wear and tear on his arm. A closer may have to pitch three days in a row, or three out of four days, or four out of five days. Would that cause more fatigue than throwing 130 pitches every fifth day?

It may not bother a normal closer to pitch frequently. However, a longtime starter like Smoltz who moves into a closer's role may not adjust so easily.

When was the last time you saw a better 1-2 combination of power pitchers than Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling?
When Nolan Ryan and J.R. Richard pitched together briefly in Houston in 1980, they were as good as Johnson and Schilling. Richard could have been the best pitcher ever if he wouldn't have gotten hurt.

In the '60s, the Dodgers had Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, and the Giants had Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry. All four pitchers are in the Hall of Fame. Later, there was Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman in New York, and Ryan and Frank Tanana with the Angels. Combined, though, none of the pairs was as powerful as Johnson and Schilling. And no combination compares in more recent memory.

Power pitchers like Johnson and Schilling can dominate an offense, like Johnson did in his 16-strikeout relief appearance against San Diego. Meanwhile, finesse pitchers must have their control and everything else going for them. Power pitchers have more margin for error. They can miss with a high fastball because hitters can't catch up with the pitch. If a finesse pitcher throws a high pitch, it will get hit.

No two pitchers on one team can match Arizona's power duo. Johnson and Schilling have an advantage in every game they pitch and will give the Diamondbacks the edge in any playoff series.

Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan is a baseball analyst for ESPN.