Before his success in public relations, his loving marriage and his storied writing career, Wade Rouse was simply Ted Rouse's son. A queer kid in a conservative Ozarks community, Wade struggled at a young age to garner his father's approval and find his voice. For his part, Ted was a hard-lined engineer, offering little emotional support or encouragement. But Wade and Ted had one thing in common: an undying love of the St. Louis Cardinals. For decades, baseball offered Wade and his father a shared vocabulary --- a way to stay in touch, to connect and to express their emotions. But when his father's health takes a turn for the worse, Wade returns to southwest Missouri to share one final season with his father.

Critically acclaimed memoirist Wade Rouse has gathered some of America's best known humorists --- authors, comedians and actors --- to offer biting commentary on what it means to share a life, and a heart with a dog.