user-1: Given that 1.d4 is said to produce better results than 1.e4 and about half of all 1.e4 games involve the Sicilian Defense, could a simple idea like avoiding trading the d pawn for black's c pawn in the Sicilian be used to produce better 1.e4 results?  Perhaps after 20 or 30 moves the d pawn will come in handy after all!   

user12449: All the main lines against the Sicilian are the open Sicilian.  This opening of the center gives white better attacking chances against black's lack of development.
Larsen claims that playing d4 is a positional mistake, allowing black to exchange a less valuable wing pawn for a center pawn.
Spassky played the closed Sicilian with great results.  And there are many anti-Sicilians which claims to give white the advantage.  The Grand Prix is the most fun, but I personally prefer the KIA.
The main difference between the open and closed Sicilians is the number of moves before the attacking begins.  The open offers more tactics right from the start.  The closed allows both players to finish developing before any attack really develops.
The real answer is that neither is necessarily good for white.  Since every line of the Sicilian is so heavily analyzed, the advantage goes to the player with the better knowledge and comfort in the positions. 

user13012: You are certainly far from being the first person to raise the question. Alekhine, in his Collected Games, recommends in the notes to one game that White should play 3.Be2, but in all of his other games he actually plays 3.d4. There is a book called the Chameleon Sicilian by Andy Soltis that points to certain advantages of 2.Ne2, retaining the options of d3 or d4 depending on how Black responds. For example, if Black expects d3, and combines ..e6 with ..g6, then d4 becomes very strong. On the other hand, if ..d6, then d3 leads into lines where Black usually goes for ..d5.
One of the remarkable things about Chess is the balance inherent in the initial position. Typically White keeps a small but tangible advantage ("normal opening advantage") for about 20 moves, and nothing much has ever changed that. One could define the statistically best moves but in practice psychological comfort is more important. (and high winning percentages sometimes attach to the moves that strong players adopt versus weak opponents.)
As has been pointed out, avoiding d4 can cut down on the amount of book learning that is needed, but that cuts both ways. Strong Sicilian players just need to know one good reply to each of Whites offbeat attempts.

-1: <p>Given that 1.d4 is said to produce better results than 1.e4 and about half of all 1.e4 games involve the Sicilian Defense, could a simple idea like avoiding trading the d pawn for black's c pawn in the Sicilian be used to produce better 1.e4 results?  Perhaps after 20 or 30 moves the d pawn will come in handy after all!   </p>
 12449: <p>All the main lines against the Sicilian are the open Sicilian.  This opening of the center gives white better attacking chances against black's lack of development.</p>

<p>Larsen claims that playing d4 is a positional mistake, allowing black to exchange a less valuable wing pawn for a center pawn.</p>

<p>Spassky played the closed Sicilian with great results.  And there are many anti-Sicilians which claims to give white the advantage.  The Grand Prix is the most fun, but I personally prefer the KIA.</p>

<p>The main difference between the open and closed Sicilians is the number of moves before the attacking begins.  The open offers more tactics right from the start.  The closed allows both players to finish developing before any attack really develops.</p>

<p>The real answer is that neither is necessarily good for white.  Since every line of the Sicilian is so heavily analyzed, the advantage goes to the player with the better knowledge and comfort in the positions. </p>
 13012: <p>You are certainly far from being the first person to raise the question. Alekhine, in his Collected Games, recommends in the notes to one game that White should play 3.Be2, but in all of his other games he actually plays 3.d4. There is a book called the Chameleon Sicilian by Andy Soltis that points to certain advantages of 2.Ne2, retaining the options of d3 or d4 depending on how Black responds. For example, if Black expects d3, and combines ..e6 with ..g6, then d4 becomes very strong. On the other hand, if ..d6, then d3 leads into lines where Black usually goes for ..d5.</p>

<p>One of the remarkable things about Chess is the balance inherent in the initial position. Typically White keeps a small but tangible advantage ("normal opening advantage") for about 20 moves, and nothing much has ever changed that. One could define the statistically best moves but in practice psychological comfort is more important. (and high winning percentages sometimes attach to the moves that strong players adopt versus weak opponents.)</p>

<p>As has been pointed out, avoiding d4 can cut down on the amount of book learning that is needed, but that cuts both ways. Strong Sicilian players just need to know one good reply to each of Whites offbeat attempts.</p>
