That particular part of The Show frustrated the hell out of me. I understand the intention to make it realistic but it was frustrating when it would happen on every pitch and no amount of adjusting the sliders could stop it even a bit. I think it's a neat feature to add a challenge to pitching but there should be a sense of customization to it instead of being at its mercy all the time.
I'm with Al, the MVP series is tops for me. Nailed everything just right. Made you actually wanna play a game instead of simming an entire season. I've only got 360, Wii and PS2. I'll probably stick with MVP '05 for now, though I'll probably rent The Show.