"Comments Cecil Fielder made after his son, Prince, signed his nine-year, $214-million contract with the Detroit Tigers gave the impression of an improvement in what had been a strained relationship.

"But I do not know if it's improving," Fielder said tonight, before being inducted into the Ted Williams Hitters Hall of Fame with former New York Yankees teammate Tino Martinez. "I worry how he's grown as a man."

The father expressed "disappointment" with his son over the estranged relationship he said his son had with "the whole family." The father said his son did not communicate with anybody on either side of his extended family.

Cecil Fielder, who said his son had him "thrown out" of a family room at Turner Field in Atlanta a couple of years ago, said he had no plans to attend any Tigers game, despite his affection for owner Mike Ilitch.

"I'm not going nowhere around it," Fielder said. "Mr. Ilitch is my man, but there's been some awful (stuff). I don't want to get in the position where he throws me out of the damn stadium. I'll have a chance to see him on TV."

Prince Fielder, 27, demurred on questions about his father when introduced as Tiger in a news conference Jan. 26."