APCH AT DEN CLRED ACR FOR VISUAL APCH WITH 170 KT SPD TO THE OM. PLT CLAIMS THAT WHEN SWITCHED TO TWR FREQ; AND BEFORE THE OM; THE TWR CTLR ISSUED A LNDG CLRNC AND RECLRED THE FLT FOR A VISUAL APCH.

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DEN APCH CTL CLRED US FOR A VISUAL TO RWY 7 DIA. INSTRUCTED US TO MAINTAIN 210 KTS TO 10 DME; 170 KTS TO OM. APCH CTL XFERRED US TO TWR. DEN TWR 'RECLRED' US FOR A VISUAL APCH AND CLRED US TO LAND. WE WERE HIGH (KEPT HIGH BY DEN APCH CTL). WE HAD TO SLOW OUR SPD TO BE ABLE TO EXTEND FLAPS AND GET DOWN AND STABILIZED. WE SLOWED TO ABOUT 170 KTS. JUST OUTSIDE OM; TWR TOLD US TO CLB TO 8000 FT MSL AND TURN L. WE ASKED WHY THE GAR. TWR WAS INSTRUCTED BY DEN APCH. DEN APCH TOLD US WE DID NOT COMPLY WITH ASSIGNED AIRSPD. WE INTERPED THAT WE WERE 'RECLRED' FOR VISUAL BY TWR WITH NO SPD RESTRS. MY MISTAKES WERE: 1) ACCEPTING SPD CLRNCS; 2) NOT NOTIFYING TWR WE NEEDED TO SLOW. DEN APCH CTL IS PUSHING THE SAFETY LIMITS ON B737'S ASSIGNING THESE TYPES OF SPD RESTRS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: PLT STATED THAT HE FELT THE ACTION BY THE CTLR WAS PUNITIVE. HE SAID WAS JUST RECENTLY MADE A B737 CAPT AFTER FLYING COPLT ON B747 ACFT. HE BELIEVES CTLRS HANDLE THE SMALLER TYPE ACFT DIFFERENTLY BY ISSUING HIGHER SPDS ON APCHS AND PLACING ACFT IN A 'SLAM DUNK' SIT MORE OFTEN. ADMITTED IN THE SIT AT DIA; HE SHOULD HAVE ASKED THE TRACON FOR A SLOWER SPD BEFORE SWITCHING TO THE TWR.