Ortiz said when it came to his attention, he said something to the players involved.
"I think I did. But I do things in a different way. When I talk to any of the guys on the team, I don't want to sound like I'm their dad. I make sure that they understand that it's a friend, a brother, another player, talking to them," Ortiz said. "That's why my communication with a lot of them is easy. I have a good relationship with everybody.
"It's not my job to walk on anyone. I'm just an employee just like any one else. I'm not a babysitter or anything like that. I'm talking to another man just like me. There's a difference between being a team leader and being a babysitter. Everybody has an idea about what they are here for."
Ortiz said his first job is to take care of himself. Then he worries about others.
"If I'm [messing] up, I can't go to no one and let them know what they are doing wrong," he said. "When it comes to a leader, I've got to do what I'm supposed to do first of all. Then I have the right to go and talk to any one else. That's basically what I have been doing here through the years. But you only can talk until one point as a player. After that — managers, GM, front office — they take over. You have limitations to talk to another player like you are. After that, there is nothing else you can do."
Ortiz does not believe leadership is an issue with the team.
"We have a lot of leaders, a lot of guys capable to change things around. I think that's not going to be a problem," he said. "Sometimes you caught into some situations and things get out of hand for a minute. But the deal that people make about our club last year was bigger than what it was," he said. "That's the way I see it.
