SURPRISE, Ariz. -- There is a perception out there that the Rangers have a quiet clubhouse. That the club doesn't have enough vocal leaders. It came up amid all the Ron Washington talk on Wednesday and third baseman and team leader Michael Young said he couldn't disagree more.

"At no point have I ever been in a quiet clubhouse," Young said. "People have called me quiet for years. I don't take it personally because I don't think it's an insult. But I don't think it's accurate. I'm not quiet. I've never been quiet. I've never been shy.

"I'm not going to sit in here with a set of pom poms. I think that's for the birds. Everything starts with how you play the game on the field. You come in after that and you lead the clubhouse in a way that makes guys go hard, that pushes guys and gets guys going. And there are tons of differnt ways to do that. People have this misconception that you have to have a vocal leader with a set of pom poms like, 'Let's go. Rah rah rah.' That's ridiculous. We have meetings like that in baseball."

Young points out that the media has access to the clubhouse before batting practice and after games. When the players are preparing for games an hour before first pitch and are in the dugout, they are on their own.

"If there's something I need to say or someone needs to say, it will be when you guys aren't around," Young said.

Young is pleased with the club's leadership group and doesn't expect the Washington issue to distract the club from it's preparation for the season.

"We'll be ready," Young said.