​It’s that time of year again: A collection of baseball’s finest from across the country rendezvous for 48 hours of red-carpeted, star-studded celebration. And along with all the fanfare and festivities comes an inevitable complaint ringing out from the bleachers, the internet echo chambers, and heated family dinners: “Why isn’t [insert favorite player with a probably pretty compelling case] at the All-Star Game?! End fan voting! End player voting! Get rid of analytics!” Or something to that effect.As it stands, the All-Star Game is an exhibition. Without home-field advantage at stake, the point is to have fun and showcase players worthy of celebration. So it’s in that spirit of fun and celebration (and not in the spirit of anger) that I have embarked on creating the Mets’ No-Star Team — a roster of longtime staples, postseason heroes, and fan favorites who never made an All-Star Game in their entire career. Note that the criteria here excludes players who earned an All-Star selection with a different team, so no Nolan Ryan-types are eligible. It also doesn’t incorporate projections, so you won’t find Nolan McLean or Carson Benge on the list (though with another couple years of similar production and no All-Star selections, both would have a solid case).AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWithout further ado, here are my selections for the Mets’ No-Star roster.FIRST BASE – Donn ClendenonThe All-Star Game might be all about first halves, but Clendenon’s Mets legend was built on the power of his second half after being traded from the Expos in 1969. After the All-Star Break, Clendenon put up an .851 OPS with 11 homers in 47 games as the Miracle Mets surged their way to the postseason, where Clendenon slashed .357/.438/1.071 with three homers in four games. Clendenon was never an All-Star, despite a strong 1970 season with New York and several formidable seasons in Pittsburgh during the mid-60s. But who needs an All-Star selection when you’ve got a World Series MVP Award, right?SECOND BASE – Wally BackmanAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNeil Walker, Ken Boswell, and Tim Teufel all have solid cases, but Backman ultimately gets the nod here in recognition of his nine-year tenure in orange and blue. It’s not difficult to see why Backman never made an All-Star team, as he only once entered an All-Star break hitting over .300 (in 1986) and only played in north of 60 games by the break on three occasions (1982, 1984-85). But he finished his Mets career with a solid .283 average and 165 RBI, and he recorded a top-10 bWAR on two division-winning teams.THIRD BASE – Dave MagadanMagadan spent seven seasons with the Mets, averaging 100 games played per season with a 122 OPS+. His best shot at the Midsummer Classic came in 1990, when he ended the first half slashing .355/.438/.483, but he didn’t earn the full-time starting job until early June. He didn’t put up eye-opening power numbers, but he was an offensive force