NEW YORK -- Jim Bouton, whose book "Ball Four" was one of the first of its kind to take readers inside a baseball clubhouse, is advising Jose Canseco to avoid writing a tell-all tome.

In an interview with Jerry Crasnick of Bloomberg, Bouton said: "My book was called a tell-all book, but I used to say it's a 'tell-from' book. I didn't quote anybody making racial remarks or anti-Semitic comments, and I didn't name any names on the sexy stories. He's going to do all of those things."

Bouton told Bloomberg that his book used a comic tone. Canseco's, he said, seems to be written out of anger after the former American League MVP said he'd been "blackballed" from the major leagues.

"I wasn't looking to rip people or expose things," Bouton said. "I just wanted to share the fun and the nonsense."

Bouton's book, written in 1969 about his experiences in the game, included some references to drinking and sex, but didn't name many names or expose any trade secrets. Canseco told ESPN Radio last week that he would go into detail about people and drugs.

"To top what goes on in the news every day, he would have to find a professional athlete who has killed three or more people," Bouton told Bloomberg. "And on the medical side, he'd have to find not just steroid use, but somebody who is now pitching with cloned body parts. Other than that, he's behind the curve."

Bouton says Canseco's book won't be like his.

"I don't want to be lumped with Jose Canseco," he said. "It sounds like he's writing the book I was accused of writing."

Canseco's co-writer, Tampa sportswriter Bill Chastain, told Bloomberg that the book will be different.

"One thing that's gotten lost in the translation is that Jose has led an extraordinary life," Chastain said. "I remember times when the writers would stand around and say, 'How would you like to be Jose for a day?' Very few people have walked in his shoes."

Chastain said it won't be "Ball Four".

"That's the king of all sports books," Chastain said. "It would be hard for anything to compare with it."