By J.P. Hoornstra, Staff Writer<\/p>\n
By J.P. Hoornstra Staff Writer <\/p>\n
GLENDALE, Ariz. - The locker stalls stood in various stages of emptiness at Camelback Ranch. <\/p>\n
The pingpong table, the water cooler of the Dodgers' clubhouse, was eerily quiet when the team broke camp Sunday. <\/p>\n
\"It's like the last day of school,\" Tony Gwynn Jr. said. <\/p>\n
To Gwynn, the takeaway from his second camp with the Dodgers was how quickly the players jelled at the beginning. <\/p>\n
\"That's the big thing that differs from last year to this year,\" he said. \"Last year, there were guys coming in off an off-year, trying to bounce back. <\/p>\n
\"This year there's a little of that, but not as much.\" <\/p>\n
According to a few players, the chemistry also worked in part because only a couple roster spots were up for grabs. Roles clearly were defined from the beginning and, with one exception, stayed the same until the end. <\/p>\n
The one exception was Jerry Sands, who entered camp as the front-runner for the final position player's job. He was demoted to the minor-league camp after batting .158 with no home runs, and the job still is up for grabs. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\nDODGERS NOTEBOOK: Players passed chemistry test<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"