he unstated but obvious intent of the All-Star Game is to have the best players on hand. That means the best players - as well as players who are having All-Star years.

The fans select the starters, and there are times when their judgment borders on the absurd. Who can ever forget B.J. Armstrong getting a starting berth in the 1994 game? Then again, maybe you have forgotten, for it was a forgettable decision. (The Bulls thought so highly of him that they made him available in the expansion draft the following year.) There also was the 1985 fan vote that almost put Kelly Tripucka in as a starter over Larry Bird.