ST. LOUIS -- Alfonso Soriano didn't want to go to New York for the All-Star Game if he couldn't play, saying he'd rather go home to the Dominican Republic and see the progress of the house he's having built there.But then Cubs teammate Aramis Ramirez made the National League squad, among a franchise-record seven Cubs selected, and Ramirez convinced Soriano they could do both.''I didn't think of that before,'' said Soriano, who now plans to enjoy the company of his teammates and his major-league roots at Yankee Stadium, then jet to the Dominican with Ramirez before joining the Cubs in Houston at the end of that week. ''He's very smart.''It's the last break the Cubs' injured left fielder plans to have anytime soon.Soriano, whose seven consecutive All-Star selections give him the fourth-longest active streak, said his left hand still felt weak during a batting-practice session Saturday that left him a little sore. He won't be able to play in the All-Star Game, but depending on how he feels this week, he said he might go on a rehabilitation assignment in time to be activated for the July 18 opener of the Astros series.''It's going to take maybe a week to feel good again, so I think I'll be able to play in the second half,'' Soriano said.Whether that includes a rehab assignment that he'll undoubtedly need remains to be seen.''I don't know what we're going to do with that,'' manager Lou Piniella said. ''I think it'll be advantageous for him. Whether he does it or not, we'll see.''