What’s so special about being an all-star?

Rob Lorentz is now the answer to a trivia question.

The question?

Name the only starting quarterback in the Railbelt NOT named first-team all-conference. Yes, in the seven-team Railbelt, six signal-callers have found themselves on the first team.

I’m not sure whether to tab this a statistical anomaly or absolute absurdity.

I’m not pointing this out to disrespect Lortentz. The Colony junior had a nice season as a first-year QB. He completed 50 percent of his passes, spread the ball around to 13 different receivers and helped guide a very young team, which returned a whopping one starter.

But at this point, Lorentz has to feel like the adult at the kiddie table. All six of his counterparts managed to make the first team. Again, I’m not throwing this out to single out Lorentz.

Lortentz is just helping me illustrate just how ridiculous this is.

Are Railbelt voters basing their all-star squad on that little used six-quarterback system? Or is this just like kindergarten — everybody gets a prize? It’s orange slices and apple juice for everyone.

Six quarterbacks on the first team?

Can you even call this an all-conference team? Maybe we should amend the title and tab it the more appropriate Railbelt Conference All-Participation team.

This is an atypical season. It seems the Railblet, and all of the 907 actually, has been blessed with some quality talent behind center. There are seven good quarterbacks in this league. But the point of an “all-star” team is to try to separate the best from the rest. If professional sports used Railbelt logic the MLB All-Star game would include 150 pitchers. Four of the five starters from every team would take a bow in the mid-summer classic.

If you’re going to bloat these all-star rosters, at least spread the love around.

Let’s break it down.

There were a combined 35 players named first-team offense and defense, even though there are only a combined 22 positions on starting offense and defense.

— Pause from reading to scratch head —

The first-team included as many quarterbacks, 6, as offensive lineman selected. There were more quarterbacks chosen than wide receivers (3), running backs (4), defensive backs (3), linebackers (4) and tight ends (1). Defensive line was the only position that landed more first-teamers, with eight.

Six quarterbacks and six offensive linemen?

If you have six quarterbacks on the first team, you’d need 30 linemen to block for them.

I am not sure what the logic is here. I am all for recognition for our student-athletes. If I don’t believe in that, I am sort of in the wrong business. But I think the Railbelt Conference is doing a disservice to its athletes here.

Don’t water it down folks.

College scouts will be impressed to see first-team all-conference quarterback on a player’s resume, but it has to change things once they find out they are one of six.

This goofy selection process may be helping the lineman out. Of the 35 starters in the league, only six were recognized. At least they narrowed it down somewhere.

Selecting these all-star teams is not easy, but it’s important and something that needs to be taken seriously. If the process is at fault, the process needs to be changed.

Currently, there seems to be little debate. Or no debate.

Pick someone. There were six or seven solid candidates. That’s more than we can say for our recent presidential races, but voters managed to pick one guy there.

Pick one player per position. Not everyone will agree, but we’re a nation based on the popular vote. Well, other than that whole Electoral College thing. But that system has its flaws too.

If we pick senators, governors, Grammy winners and prom queens with the popular vote, why can’t we select one first-team quarterback?

The current system is not working. In the time I’ve taken to write this column, I think another quarterback has been selected to the first team.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.