The Fantasy Wizard dishes out fantasy advice and answers your questions

CLIFF RACKING UP WHIFFS

	Did you add Cliff Lee to your fantasy team yet? You might want to. Icon SMI
	REACT: Send Gary your Fantasy Baseball questions Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Make your case:

If you thought Indians SP Cliff Lee ($3,300,000) would be the best pitcher in baseball over the first 40 games of the season, raise your hand. Okay, now anyone who had their hand raised can put them down, because you're all big stinkin' liars. Lee has been the shock of the season. Actually, he's been the shock of the century so far. A few years back, he was a decent pitcher. Last year, he stunk it up. But now, Lee is the hottest pitcher in baseball. He has made six starts, and he's 6-0 with a 0.81 ERA. Now obviously, he can't keep up that pace. If he did, it would go down as the greatest season ever in any sport. But there are signs that Lee should be good all season. He's striking out more hitters, walking fewer hitters, and getting more groundballs than he used to. I'd definitely recommend trading for Lee while he's hot.

TAKE DOWN THE FANTASY WIZARD (OR AT LEAST TRY)

The WOW League is about to get underway. It's too late to sign up for Week 1 (starting Monday), but we award winners on a weekly basis. So if you're interested, get ready to go in Week 2 (see very important sign up instructions below).

For those of you who still aren't familiar with the WOW League, it's your chance to take on the Fantasy Wizard, SIKIDS.com's Ballroom Dancing Wizard Duane from New Jersey (aka the BDW), and SIKIDS.com's resident baseball columnist Sarah Braunstein of the Dugout Dispatch.

Anyone can sign up for the WOW League. And if your team finishes with the highest score in any week, you'll get to write whatever you want on baseball and have it appear right here in the fantasy mailbag! (And yes, that means you can talk some trash if you take down the Wiz.)

Invitations for the following week go out every Thursday morning...

HOW TO SIGN UP FOR THE WOW LEAGUE

If you want to get involved in the Wizard challenge and join the WOW League, just send a request through the question box. Be sure to include a valid email address. Then we'll send you an official invite. And all invitations go out on THURSDAY morning.

VERY IMPORTANT NEW INSTRUCTIONS: If you are already in a league, and you want to join the WOW League, you'll have to sign up using a DIFFERENT email address!!! If you use the same email address as the one you used to join your first league, our computers get confused and think you're trying to join your original league all over again. In short, you won't be allowed to join WOW.

ALSO, if you have an AOL account, your invitation might be blocked out. If you haven't received your invite within 7 days of your request, you have three choices: (1) Have your parents lower the security setting on your AOL account, (2) Have your parents help you sign up for a new account with a server like GMAIL or YAHOO, or (3) Have your parents send in your WOW League request through their email account.

And remember, we're taking week-by-week standings only. So even if you sign up late, you can still be a WOW League champion and get to tell us your two cents. Be sure to have your lineup set by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Sunday night to play that week.

And now onto the... MAILBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGG!!!!!!

FANTASY MAILBAG

Gary, I'm in a close race for first place in my league. Who should I get
at first base: Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols ($7,500,000), Astros 1B Lance Berkman ($7,100,000), or Cubs 1B Derrek Lee ($6,600,000)?
-Tyler, New York

Right now Tyler, I think Berkman's your boy. All three of those guys are potential stars. But Berkman is hot. He's actually hotter than hot. It's like he's in a toaster on the surface of the sun.

I had Diamondbacks 2B Orlando Hudson ($5,300,000), but I have to replace him because he's injured. Who should I get at or less than $5,900,000?
-Corey, Florida

I'd pick one of these three young star, Corey: Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia ($5,350,000), Brewers 2B Rickie Weeks ($5,000,000), or Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler ($5,600,000). I think you'll be just fine going with any one of them.

Should I keep Mets SP Johan Santana ($9,700,000)? Some weeks he does good, but other weeks he does bad.
-Quinton, Florida

You have to remember Quinton, a bad week for Santana is usually a really good week for any other pitcher. But there are guys - Indians SP Cliff Lee ($3,300,000), Marlins SP Scott Olsen ($6,200,000), Angels SP Ervin Santana ($5,200,000), and Reds SP Edinson Volquez ($4,400,000) - who are outpitching him right now. I think by the end of the season Santana will have better stats than all of them. But over the course of his career, Santana usually pitches like a star in the first half of the season, but then pitches like a superstar in the second half. Santana is just fine to have on your team, but you might want to consider picking up a cheaper pitcher until Santana starts to dominate.

YOU NEVER ANSWER MY QUESTIONS!!!!!
-Billy, Illinois

Sorry Billy. The Wiz gets hundreds of questions every week! I get to most of them, but I can't get to them all.

Who should I keep: Dodgers SS Rafael Furcal ($5,750,000) or Marlins SS Hanley Ramirez ($8,100,000)?
-Andrew, Pennsylvania

Unless you need to save up that money, Hanley is the choice, Andrew. Furcal is having an All-Star type of season, but Ramirez has the speed and power to be an MVP. And just a hint for any Hanley fans out there: There's a surprise for you coming up next month in the July issue of SI KIDS magazine.