The answer is easy, and I voted for both awards.

Carpenter was in a tight battle with teammate Adam Wainwright and the Giants' Tim Lincecum, and his lower-innings total was a legitimate mark against him. I voted Wainwright-Lincecum-Carpenter. Lincecum won the award.

Mauer, on the other hand, was so far above his competition, he easily deserved all 28 first-place votes — and it's a mystery to me why one voter, Keizo Konishi of Kyodo News, had the Tigers' Miguel Cabrera at the top of his ballot. I had Cabrera 10th, and I'll explain why in a moment.

First, Mauer.

He won the AL batting title over Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki, .365-.352, the on-base title over Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis, .444-.413, the slugging title over Angels first baseman Kendry Morales, .587-.569. And, of course, he did all of that while playing catcher, one of the game's most important defensive positions.

By season's end, the only true intrigue with the ballot was in spots two through 10. I was one of two voters who listed Youkilis second and the one voter who listed Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez as high as third. The rest of my ballot looked like this:

4) Mark Teixeira.

5) Morales.

6) Derek Jeter.

7) Jason Bay.

8) Ben Zobrist.

9) Michael Young.

10) Cabrera.

I voted Youkilis second because of his defensive versatility at first and third and because he ranked second in the league in OPS behind Mauer. I made A-Rod my highest-ranking Yankee because the team went 90-44 (.672) after he returned from hip surgery. Teixeira barely hit until A-Rod showed up, and Jeter offered far less power.

As always, virtually every choice is debatable, including my dropping of Cabrera. I had him fourth on my original ballot, but on the final weekend of the season, with the Tigers fighting for a playoff spot, he came home drunk and got into a fight with his wife, according to police. It is not known whether he was driving, but his blood-alcohol level was 0.26, more than three times above Michigan's legal limit. He went 0-for-4 and stranded six runners in a loss to the White Sox later that day.

The top three criteria for the MVP award are:

Actual value of a player to his team, that is strength of offense and defense.

Number of games played.

General character, loyalty, disposition and effort.

Now, I much prefer objective measures to subjective. I know Cabrera's transgression amounted to one episode in an otherwise terrific six-month season. But his lapse was so blatant, so offensive, so downright selfish, I could not ignore it. I nearly left him off my ballot entirely, and frankly I'm surprised that no voter punished him in such fashion.

Only Konishi can explain his rationale for giving Cabrera a first-place vote, but I'm willing to bet that his logic is reasonably sound. Konishi is a Japanese writer who covers the Mariners. He is very thoughtful and knowledgeable — I daresay more knowledgeable than most American writers, including myself.

Still, I know what's coming — another round of off-with-his-head snark, just like we heard from certain quarters when ESPN.com's Keith Law and Baseball Prospectus' Will Carroll left Carpenter off their Cy Young ballots. I strongly disagree with Law and Carroll, but they earned their votes, and they're entitled to their opinions. The same goes for Konishi.

For years, the Baseball Writers Association of America was criticized — and justifiably so — for being composed mainly of middle-aged white males with similar viewpoints. But in recent years, the BBWAA has broadened its membership. Writers from strong sabermetric backgrounds, such as Law and Carroll, are now welcome. So are Japanese writers such as Konishi.

The new members bring new perspectives — a good thing, a democratic thing, the right thing, for heaven's sake. We're debating baseball awards, not health care. I've got my opinion; you've got yours; Law, Carroll and Konishi have theirs. Enough malice. Let's just keep the conversation going, OK?