First One To Seven Wins...

Bill Madden says these days a seven inning start is the new complete game. According to the article, teams with the most starts at or exceeding seven innings tend to find their way into October:

According to Elias Sports Bureau, the teams that get the most outings of seven or more innings from their starting pitchers have the best chance of making the playoffs. Last year, the Cleveland Indians led the majors with 71 games in which their starters went seven or more innings and they finished first in their division. The National League leaders were the Arizona Diamondbacks, with 59, and, not coincidentally, they too won their division.

With the exception of 2006, over the last five years those teams that finished first or second in the majors in starts of seven innings or more all made the playoffs. However, even those "new" complete game numbers are shrinking, as evidenced by the Yankees' major league-leading 87 starts of seven-plus innings in 2003, to the Angels' and Indians' major league-leading 71 in '06 and '07, respectively.

Madden: Don't Give Pitchers Long-Term Deals

Bill Madden offers owners a warning before signing starting pitchers to big contracts. He cites names like Kevin Brown, Denny Neagle and Mike Hampton before unfairly including Mike Mussina on a list of unsuccessful signings. He also misspelled Mitch Hilligoss, proving Madden couldn't pick Alan Horne out from a class photo of kindergarteners.

Some poor pitching signings listed below:

The Red Sox Mitchell Report

Daily News scribe Bill Madden noticed that the "groundbreaking" steroid report may have a few large omissions. The commissioner, president and George Mitchell's status as a paid employee of the Boston Red Sox just might have influenced his revelatory report.

"That, despite his protestations to the contrary, Mitchell was compromised by his ties with the Red Sox and to Selig. How else do you explain that not one prominent recent Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewer or Texas Ranger wound up in that report?" the official asked.

"I just think it's more than curious none of them were even mentioned when you take into account they played on Mitchell's team, the commissioner's team or the president's (George Bush) team."

Naw.. no conflicts of interest here.. just straight, tough legislative will.

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Clemens "Angry" About Accusations

Meanwhile, Roger Clemens says he is "numb" to all the recent steroid allegations and will appear on 60 Minutes to clear his name.

"Over the last 15 days, it's been extremely difficult, for my family, my children, my extended family," Clemens said. "I'm holding up better than they are. I'm almost numb to some of these suggestions that I used steroids. It's amazing to me that I'm going to lengths that I'm going to have to defend myself.

"I faced this last year when the LA Times reported that I used steroids. I said it was not true then. Now, the whole world knows it's not true now that that's come out.

"I'm angry about it," Clemens said, referring to the Mitchell report. "It's hurtful to me and my family. But we are coming upon Christmas now and I have been blessed in my life. I've been blessed in my career and I'm very thankful for those blessings."

The report came from a video posted on the Rocket's website.