MLG Fightstick button layout (Markman, pls read if u see this)

I just received my first ever fightstick today. It's this one:



I chose it because I just got a 360 for Xmas from my fiancee (yes, she's a great lady, and she plays games a bit as well), and decided I would go full out and get a quality arcade stick for it. Reading these boards, I learned quickly that Madcatz's TE sticks were considered among the best of the best. And all the cooler looking designs were sold out from Gameshark store, or crazily high priced on ebay or Amazon. So I ordered this model.

Now that I have it, it's not bad looking really. The metallic sides are pretty nice. The MLG stuff... eh.

BUT... the button layout. I didn't even think of that when I ordered the stick. I thought a Madcatz fightstick was a Madcatz fightstick. I was wrong.

WHY did they use this layout? I hate it. I have to reconfigure for every game I use it on, and then if I want to use a pad, I have to do it all again. The other fightsticks have have a layout that is generally more like the pad layout, so that seems to make more sense.

Can anyone, maybe Markman himself, please explain to me why this layout was used? Is there some advantage that as a noob I'm just not getting?

I'm really trying to like this stick. I really don't want to return it. But between the odd button layout and the MLG design (I never even heard of MLG until I bought this, I'm basically a 45 y/o retro gamer), I'm a bit unsure. Sending it back will cost me shipping, plus my ship to cost would not be refunded I think, so I'm kinda screwed no matter what. :-(

Thanks to Shoryuken.com for providing such a great forum to learn and discuss this stuff on.