Pssst...Wanna Hear A Secret?

It's a new concept I know. Play the players who are doing well, bench the ones who aren't. Those clever Rangers have figured out the secret to success, don't let Christian Guzman play. I kid. They actually traded for him. And hey, currently they are 8 games up in their division so what can you say about it right?

Rangers' demand for accountability is paying off

Jon Daniels and Ron Washington have removed the free passes from the Rangers' clubhouse this season.

My 3rd grade teacher did the same thing when they found 'Nibbles' the gerbil in the boys urinal.

No more coddling players. No more excuses.

I hope they put up a bunch of those inspirational posters about giving 110% and pushing the extreme.

Every single player on this club must earn his role. And every single player must produce to keep that role.

I will admit that's a better plan than the Cubs plan of playing whoever is making the most and hoping they regain their past glory.

It's true.

Kurt Angle is writing the column, sweet.

Just ask Frank Francisco, who lost his closer's job to Neftali Feliz six days into the season. Or first baseman Chris Davis, who was banished to the minor leagues, as he should have been, less than three weeks into the season and again in July.

Great, they don't let players who are under producing play. We get it. Anything else?

Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Taylor Teagarden, the catchers on the roster when the season began, were each in the minors before the end of April.

Yeah Taylor, we got it, they aren't gonna let me play SS anytime soon. Are there any other reasons? Like they had great depth in the organization so they could afford to dump players who had less than satisfactory results?

Rich Harden? Stuck on the disabled with a sore glute – yeah, right – for about six weeks after too many raggedy performances to count. He's probably going to get one more chance to prove he should remain a member of the rotation until Derek Holland takes his spot.

Yeah, we get it...How about that their bullpen is a beast and they have a team ERA+ of 115!?!

Scott Feldman, a 17-game winner last season and the recipient of a three-year contract just before the season started, has been placed in pitching purgatory for the rest of the year. How else can you describe an opening day starter who is now a long reliever?

Yes, he was brutal and lost his spot...please give us something else to work with. How about improved defense?

Julio Borbon, the talented rookie center fielder, is the latest Rangers player to see his role altered. After more than a month of scuffling at the plate, he has been regularly supplanted by David Murphy, who provides some semblance of an offensive threat.

UGH!! This isn't an article, it's a transaction log.

Murphy delivered two key homers last week in wins over Seattle.

And has an OBP of .325. Not great. (Career: .334)

Borbon has three extra-base hits since July 2. That's unacceptable. So Borbon sits while Murphy plays more consistently as the Rangers prepare to begin a two-game series tonight with the Yankees.

The best teams, no matter the sport, make accountability a significant part of their team creed. The best teams have stiff competition for playing time.

Usually because they have a lot of the best players. It's not a creed, it's common sense, unless you're Dusty Baker or someone like that.

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is terrific at making the guys on his team earn playing time.

Any example how? No? Alright we'll take your word for it.

Wade Phillips is getting better, though the true test will be how long it takes him to reduce Roy Williams' playing time once Dez Bryant returns from his high-ankle sprain.

Ask any athlete and he'll tell you he practices harder, focuses more intently and takes care of the details more vigorously when he must earn playing time with each performance or practice.

They'll also tell you their faithful to their wives...What athlete is going to say: "Yeah I really turn it down when there's competition for my spot, I mean why bother right?"

It's human nature. All of us work harder when we're aware we can be replaced at a moment's notice.

That's the trick to effective management, constantly threatening to replace your workers. It creates a sense of panic that is palpable in the office.

The Rangers have rarely taken this approach, though they've had a valid excuse: Neither the team nor the farm system has been consistently good enough to create real competition within the ballclub.

THERE IT IS!!!! DING DING DING DING!!!! Organizational depth. If you're the White Sox and have a lowly ranked farm system, you can't just run around replacing your players with double-A athletes. So the Rangers have done a great job of building a solid organization.

Daniels' upgrade of the farm system over the last few seasons has given Washington options that former manager Buck Showalter never had. These days, if a player slumps, the Rangers' farm system can provide an alternative, such as first baseman Mitch Moreland or pitchers Tommy Hunter and Alexi Ogando.

Or, as Daniels showed last month, the system is deep enough that he can trade for a better option – such as when he gave up prospects, including much-heralded Justin Smoak, in deals for Cliff Lee, first baseman Jorge Cantu and second baseman Cristian Guzman to strengthen the club as it pursues its first AL West title since 1999.

He used the words "strengthen the club" and "Christian Guzman" in the same sentence. Never thought I'd see that one.

Despite the philosophical shift, Washington gives players plenty of opportunity to prove they can handle their roles. Davis received every opportunity to succeed before the Rangers replaced him. The same goes for Borbon. And Harden. And Feldman. And every other player who's had his role changed this season.

The approach Daniels and Washington have taken this year is as big as any reason why the Rangers lead the AL West by eight games, which just happens to be the largest lead in baseball.

Yes, their approach of playing the good players and benching the bad ones has worked brilliantly.

Case Closed.