By Matt Snyder

His team may have fallen two wins shy of the World Series, but Brewers closer John Axford came away with an October accolade of his own. He has been crowned the 2011 Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year by the American Mustache Institute.

Now, you might be thinking -- in addition to "this can't be a serious award" -- that Axford is Canadian. He is. The award is named after a Canadian, too, but it says "American" in the title. So it's a bit confusing. The AMI website even called the choice "controversial," but defended it.

“We are honored to give this award to the Ax man,” said AMI Chairman Aaron Perlut. “Even though he is Canadian, we believe John represents everything else the Mustached American community values: humor, intelligence and good looks. He is also very tall.”

I had no clue this existed, but evidently there's an audience, as there were reportedly nearly a million votes cast online, nearly half of which Axford netted. The second place finisher was Bob Kevioan of "The Bob and Tom Show."

Click here to view Axford's own twit-pic of him holding the award and wearing a crown. He received them at the "'Stache Bash" in Chicago, which is the most 'stache-friendly city in America, according to AMI's research.

Wow, you just can't make this stuff up. It's all kinds of hilarious.

Congrats to Axford on his victory.

Hat-tip: Big League Stew

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