David Ortiz said he never knowingly used steroids and that over-the-counter supplements and vitamins likely caused him to land on a list of alleged drug users circulated by the federal government.

Major League Baseball and the players' union said just because a player's name was on the list didn't mean he used steroids.

"I definitely was a little bit careless back in those days when I was buying supplements and vitamins over the counter -- legal supplements, legal vitamins over the counter -- but I never buy steroids or use steroids," Ortiz said during a news conference yesterday.

"I never thought that buying supplements and vitamins, it was going to hurt anybody's feelings."

MLB said in a statement yesterday 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 that Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were on the list.

Ortiz said that when he met with union general counsel Michael Weiner in 2004, he wasn't told he tested positive for steroids. Weiner, who has been designated to succeed union head Donald Fehr, said that because the list is under court seal, the union can't confirm to Ortiz that he tested positive, only that he was on the list.

"I want to apologize to fans for the distraction, my teammates, our manager," Ortiz said, flanked by Weiner, with Boston manager Terry Francona standing behind and to the side. "This past week has been a nightmare to me."

Ortiz said the report that he was on the list weighed on him -- since it came out July 30, he is batting .188 with two homers and six RBIs. "This past week, I've been really confused and frustrated," he said. "I started looking for answers, and nobody gives me an answer."

Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton once again addressed his troubled history with alcohol abuse, after a Web site published photos of him cavorting with several scantily clad women in a bar last January. "I always knew there would be a chance it would come out," said Hamilton, who created headlines last season with his inspired comeback from alcoholism and drug abuse to lead the major leagues in RBIs. "If you have alcohol in your system, your inhibitions go out the window. I'm allergic to it -- every time I break out in an orange suit and handcuffs."