I love the pitching in the Show as you still can be slightly off with a perfect meter hit. My only issue with it is the presence of the meter itself as it eventually becomes much to easy to time. I think with the visuals being as capable as they are now, it may be viable (at least as an option) to use a meter like The Show's system, just without the meter.
What I mean is you could time the button presses/releases as you do with the meter, but with the meter off, the visual cues in the actual windup and delivery would be you reference points. I think it would add challenge (particularly with a good variety of signature motions) and solve the problem of too many indications on screen.
You could even map something similar using the stick. It would then function much like Tiger Woods swing (as some people have been mentioning and wanting lately) and offer the analog control some want. I would think it would be easy enough to implement, as all options function essentially the same. The only difference is buttons vs Stick and meter on or off. Then the analog vs button discussion can be dropped and the actual system itself (meaning the overall tuning, ratings influence, and other influences) can be tweaked and perfected each year. Win-win-win, IMO.