The polls have closed and the results are final. Dustin Pedroia joins Cal Ripken Jr. and Ryan Howard as the only players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in consecutive years.

• Dustin Pedroia was named on only 27 ballots; who would leave him off the ballot entirely?
• Justin Morneau was named on 28 ballots, yet somehow had a 6th and 7th place vote.
• Kevin Youkilis was also on 28 ballots with two first-place and two 8th place votes
• Joe Mauer was also only on 27 ballots with two first-place and oddly two 8th place votes and one 9th place vote. Who would leave him off the ballot entirely?
• Carlos Quentin was the only one of the top six vote getters not to get a first-place vote.
• Francisco Rodriguez was the leading pitcher to collect votes including one first-place vote. K-Rod got no first-place votes for the Cy Young Award.
• Josh Hamilton put his past behind him and was named on 28 ballots.
• Last year’s MVP Alex Rodriguez got the most 10th place votes with 7.
• Carlos Pena was leading vote getter for the AL Champion Rays.
• Grady Sizemore got the most 9th place votes.
• Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria just missed the Top 10 for MVP.
• Cliff Lee may have been the Cy Young Award winner but only five voters included him on their ballots.
• Miguel Cabrera despite hitting .292 with 37 homers and 127 RBI took a hit for the Tigers bad season and finished 13th.
• Vladimir Guerrero was the leading vote getter for a position player on the AL team with the most wins.
• Jermaine Dye did not make the All-Star team.
• Aubrey Huff was the only Oriole to get votes.
• Milton Bradley was recognized by two voters.
• Jason Bartlett, Mike Mussina, Raul Ibanez, Ian Kinsler, Ichiro Suzuki, and Mark Teixeira each got one vote.
• Mark Teixeira’s .358 with the Angels had much less impact on the voters than Manny’s numbers did with the Dodgers. Perhaps Teixeira should grow dreadlocks.
• Ibanez and Ichiro got votes despite the Mariners losing 101 games.
• Roy Halladay finished second for the Cy Young Award but received no MVP votes, either did Daisuke Matsuzaka who finished fourth or Mariano Rivera who finished fifth, Mike Mussina who finished sixth did get a vote.
• Twenty-three different AL players got votes, 27 different National Leaguers got votes.
• The Angels, the Rangers and the Rays each had three players, while the Indians, Mariners, Red Sox, Twins, White Sox, and Yankees had two apiece. The Orioles and Tigers had one each among the 11 teams whose players received votes.
• Dustin Pedroia does not receive an MVP bonus, but Morneau picked up $75,000 and Mauer, Youkilis and Pena each got $25,000.