Tigers’ Jim Leyland says those who care about steroids issue ‘probably don’t like baseball’

Tigers’ Leyland ’sick and tired’ of steroids saga

DETROIT —Tigers manager Jim Leyland laments the way names have trickled out in baseball’s drug scandal, and says he has grown weary of the disclosures.

Leyland usually sidesteps conversations about steroids, but on Sunday said that while he does not condone the use of performance-enhancing drugs he suggested that most fans don’t care about the issue.

“The people who care about it probably don’t like baseball,” Leyland said.

His comments came a day after Boston’s David Ortiz said he never knowingly used steroids, insisting over-the-counter supplements and vitamins likely put him on a list of alleged drug users circulated by the federal government. Ortiz tested positive in the confidential 2003 survey.

“I could care less what anybody else thinks,” Leyland said. “If David Ortiz said he didn’t knowingly take anything, I believe him.”

Leyland spoke before the Tigers played the Minnesota Twins. Detroit opens a series Monday night against Ortiz and the Red Sox.

“I don’t know how stuff like that comes out,” he said. “Confidential, that’s exactly what that means to me, confidential. I think that’s kind of unfair.”

Leyland doesn’t blame the media for uncovering names of players and predicted another player will be identified in a month.

“I know the media has to report information,” Leyland said. “I’m not blaming the media, but they’re not going to let it alone. I’m not blaming anybody because it’s news and that’s what you people do for a living.”

In any case, Leyland is “sick and tired” of the ongoing saga.

“We’ve made mistakes, there have been some guys who admitted it so you know it was there,” he said. “How many people? I have no idea.”

Major League Baseball and the players’ union have said that just because a player’s name was on the list didn’t mean he used steroids. MLB said that at most 96 urine samples tested positive in the 2003 survey and the players’ association said 13 of those were in dispute.

The New York Times reported last month Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were on the list and said in June that Sammy Sosa was on it. In February, Sports Illustrated reported Alex Rodriguez was on the list, and Rodriguez later acknowledged using Primobolan from 2001-03.

Michael Weiner, who has been designated to succeed union head Donald Fehr, said because the list is under court seal, the union can’t confirm to Ortiz he tested positive, only that he was on the list.

Hall of Famer Hank Aaron and some other past and present players have called for the entire list to be released. Weiner said doing that would be both illegal and wrong.

“It’s becoming like the nosy neighbor,” Leyland said.