The Cordero Mystery

MLB's Nats beat writer Bill Ladson has an article about Larkin and the Nats.

I definitely don't get as squeamish when people talk about leadership, but this has me scratching my head:

With Vinny Castilla already on the Nationals, Larkin, 40, could help Castilla fill a leadership void that was left by Wil Cordero, who left the Expos after the 2003 season.

This is the 4th or 5th time that Ladson's brought up Wil Cordero in the context of being a great leader. I suppose I could give Ladson the benefit of the doubt--he's actually with the team and has heard what the other players say about him, but c'mon. It isn't like he's the second coming of Willie Stargell in either offensive talents or leadership ability.

I wonder if we're talking about the same person. Cause the Wil Cordero I'm talking about is the one who was arrested for DUI last year when his speeding SUV flipped. Maybe it's a different Wil Cordero? You know, the one who was convicted of beating his wife with a telephone? I don't know--I'm only getting one Wil Cordero on baseball-reference.com. It can't be the same person, can it?

Yes, people should be given second chances, and what kind of scumbag he is outside the locker room probably doesn't affect how the player is inside it, but why associate yourself with this kind of lowlife? And, more importantly, why praise the guy?

Cordero may be good around the other players, but true leadership extends to what happens off the field, not just what happens inside the baselines or in the clubhouse.