After waiting for the official results of the MVP races, they were finally announced to the surprise of some. Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies and Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins have walked away with their respective league MVP awards and given baseball fans a look to the future. Sports in general have a tough time giving up on a generation, but this announcement will go a long way to that regard as we usher in a new era in baseball and meet the newest stars. First Howard, who captured America with his tape measure shots in the Home Run Derby and his energetic personality that made him likeable to everyone. Howard finished the season with 58 home runs and 149 RBI, all while hitting .313. The high average is what had everyone talking since high average and power numbers don?t mesh in today?s baseball. He also convinced the organization and to a larger extent, the fans of Philadelphia, that he was capable to being the leader of the Phillies both in production and in the community and media. The seamless transition he led after the trading of Jim Thome made the dealing of Bobby Abreu an easier decision because the organization knew he would do the same this time. The money freed up from this move can now be spent on areas of the team Howard can?t control, like the pitching. Howard did all of this in his first full season in the Major Leauges, which should have more than one manager worried that the best is yet to come. Morneau was in a very similar situation with this being only his second full season in the Major Leagues and his first healthy one. Like Howard, he also hit for a high average at .321 and never hit below .390 for a month after May. Morneau didn?t leave it with average either, showing he has power to the tune of 34 home runs and 130 RBI. This power surge at the plate more than picked up for the drop in production by Tori Hunter and in concert with Joe Mauer, led the Twins back on an improbable run to the division title. For the low budget Twins, knowing they have a legitimate power source will make it easier to part ways with Hunter this off season if they choose to do so. Now, it can easily be debated that this award should have gone to Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, but it shows a clear trend amongst voters that hard work and consistent play doesn?t match power numbers on an undermanned team. Both Morneau, 25, and Howard, 27, will be forever linked as the winners of the American League and National League MVP respectively in 2006, but they could also share another link too. They could be starters in the All-Star game at first base for the next decade because their seasons aren?t simply a sign of luck, but more of a coming of age.