Pesky blister costs Wood all-star berth

That pack of seven Cubs heading to the All-Star Game is down to five after it was announced late Saturday that closer Kerry Wood has a blister that will keep him out of the lineup today and for Tuesday's All-Star game at Yankee Stadium in New York.

"I'm disappointed; I went through a lot to get to this point and was rewarded with making the all-star team, and now I'm not going to get the chance to pitch an inning," Wood said. "But it was the right decision. It will be an opportunity now to take six days to get better and that way we don't deal with it the rest of the year."

Wood said he'd been dealing with the blister for "about 3 weeks."

Did you know: Courtesy of his 110 hits, Ryan Theriot is the first Chicago shortstop to have at least 100 hits before the all-star break since Don Kessinger had 101 in 1971.

And to think manager Lou Piniella's first inclination was to use Theriot at second base, as a utility player and even try him in the outfield.

"Finally, Alan Trammell and I had a conversation one day and I said, 'Can this kid play shortstop? Let's start working him out without raising too many eyebrows,' " Piniella said. "We put him out at shortstop four or five days later and he's done the rest.

"He's done a heck of a job over there. He's a winning player."

Nice touch: Seven-year-old Dominic DiAngi was to have received an unexpected visitor to his room at Children's Memorial Hospital on Saturday evening: Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly.

Lilly smoked a line-drive foul ball that hit DiAngi in the head early in Thursday's game against Cincinnati and caused a fractured skull and swelling around the brain.

"He's getting better. His dad was pretty optimistic that he should be better today," Lilly said.

"Unfortunately it happens at a lot of ballparks around the country. Especially right down there, guys are signing autographs and during bp and kids aren't paying attention, and unfortunately it happens more than it should."

Lilly will bring with him a plethora of goodies including a glove and jersey from Ryan Theriot, a bat from Mark DeRosa and a baseball signed by the entire Cubs team.

Sad news: The passing of former Cubs outfielder Bobby Murcer was a hard hit to his former teammate Lou Piniella.

"It's a sad day," Piniella said. "Just a wonderful person, a great teammate and a heck of a baseball player."