INVERNESS, Fla. -- Ted Williams, in his will filed and made public Tuesday, said that he wanted to be cremated and his ashes "sprinkled at sea off the coast of Florida where the water is very deep.''

But after Williams wrote his will on Dec. 20, 1996, the Boston Red Sox legend and avid fisherman expressed his desire to have his body frozen, according to his estate's executor.

"After the time of his will, Ted chose to have his body cryonically preserved,'' Albert Cassidy said at a news conference. He refused to say how he knew Williams had changed his mind and provided no documentation.

Cassidy filed, along with the will, a petition asking a judge that Williams' body remain in a cryonics lab in Arizona. Cassidy, a Winter Haven, Fla., real estate developer was a lifelong friend of Ted Williams. Cassidy's father and Ted Williams were partners in a Massachusetts baseball camp.

Cassidy wrote he "is in doubt as to whether any change in the disposition of this decedent's body is required.''

Richard Fitzpatrick, an attorney for Ted Williams' oldest daughter, Bobby-Jo Williams Ferrell, said Cassidy offered nothing to back his claim that Ted Williams wanted to be frozen.

"I know the will is clear, even though the personal representative says something else,'' Fitzpatrick said.

The conflict between Williams' will and his later wishes came hours after his three children admitted they failed to resolve a stalemate over their father's remains, setting the stage for a contentious court battle over the will.

Bobby-Jo Williams Ferrell ``remains convinced that her father's last wishes were to be cremated and to have his ashes spread over the deep waters off the coast of Florida,'' said John Heer, another attorney for Ferrell.

John Henry Williams and Ferrell, his half sister, have been fighting over their father's remains since he died July 5 after a series of strokes and congestive heart failure.

John Henry Williams had the body flown to Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, Ariz. to be frozen, against the wishes of Ferrell.

A lawyer for John Henry Williams said in a statement that he believed family members could still reach an understanding and that the siblings hoped to arrive at a private resolution.

"Everyone in the family is motivated by their love for their father and their grief at his passing,'' said Robert Goldman, the attorney, who also said he was representing John Henry Williams' sister Claudia Williams.

Cryonics advocates say science might one day be able to thaw a body, cure whatever killed the person and restore life. Most experts say that's highly unlikely.

Ferrell has also speculated that her half brother may want to sell their father's DNA.

Cassidy, at the news conference, said nothing made Ted Williams happier than his relationship with John Henry Williams and Claudia Williams.

"I saw firsthand their devotion to their dad and I know that Ted would be hurt by some of the things that have been said about them,'' Cassidy said. "I am confident that their actions are inspired by their love for their father.''

Ferrell, John Henry Williams and Claudia Williams met for hours Monday in discussions that were "civil, candid,'' Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick said mediation rules prevent him from giving more details about the negotiations. Both sides have 20 days to respond to the will, and a hearing could then be scheduled.

Also during Monday's meeting, Ferrell learned that she will not receive any money or property from her father's estate because, Ted Williams wrote, "I have provided for her during my life.''

Otherwise, Williams' assets are to be put in a trust and its trustees are to decide their distribution, the will says.

Meanwhile, the freezing of Williams' body has been joked about by Jay Leno and David Letterman. Sportscaster Dick Enberg, during a tribute to Williams in his hometown of San Diego on Monday, begged that Williams be cremated, saying, ``If John Henry is listening, let the old fisherman go back to the sea.''

And in Detroit Tuesday, where the Red Sox were facing the Tigers, a fan held up a sign reading "Free Ted, Freeze John Henry.''