MESA, Ariz. -- Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist had to battle emotions last December.
He was born and went to high school in Eureka, Ill., a small town about 120 miles southwest of Chicago and about 180 miles northeast of St. Louis, in the part of Central Illinois where that Cubs-Cardinals rivalry creates heated debates.
And he was coming off an October in which he was a key part of the Royals' first World Series championship since 1985 -- a time when Zobrist's family actually lived in the Kansas City area (though his memories are minimal; he was 4).