assisting in the preparation of the
games is a thrill. "Short of running out
with the players before a game and
jumping up and touching that banner, I
can't think of anything better," he said.
Gross also provides weather infor-
mation to the Detroit Lions, whose
home games, played inside Ford Field
in Detroit, are not affected by the
weather, but whose outdoor practices
and away games may be.
Because the Detroit Tigers play their
home games outside at Comerica Park,
Gross stays busy during baseball sea-
son; he even participated in a pre-game
meeting during the 2006 World Series.
He works closely with Heather
Nabozny, the Tigers' head groundskee-
per, either on the phone or in person.
"Sometimes, when there's a chance
that rain will impact the game, I'll
consult directly with Heather and the
umpires in the umpire room behind
home plate, showing them a radar loop
on the computer in there," he said.
Nabozny refers to Gross as "most
accurate."
"Paul's knowledge and forecast-
ing abilities have helped us make key
decisions on whether or not to start
a game based upon weather condi-
tions," she said. "I know that Paul does
not take his work as a meteorologist
lightly. I have talked to many different
meteorologists in my 17 years in base-
ball and Paul is the best. I put a lot
of trust in Paul abilities and consider
myself and the Tigers very lucky to
have him around?'
A memorable moment for Gross came
during the 2005 All-Star Game played at
Comerica Park, when he and Nabozny
ran onto the field to update the umpire
crew chief about a possible heavy rain
shower. "I was so focused on my job that
it didn't occur to me until we were walk-
ing back in from the pitcher's mound
area -- that I was on the field during the
All-Star Game," he said.
Staying Busy
Gross' work schedule varies, to occa-
sionally include starting at 2:30 a.m.
or even handling a double shift, and is
sometimes suddenly altered by severe
weather events.
As if Gross doesn't have enough to do
in his family, extracurricular and pro-
fessional lives, he's now finishing work
on a book. Extreme Michigan Weather:
The Wild World of the Great Lakes State,
with an expected release date of spring
or summer 2010, is his first. "We get
everything except hurricanes here, and
even the remnants of hurricanes some-
times strike us," he said. "So this book
covers it all: severe storms and torna-
does, snow and ice, floods, heat and
cold waves, how meteorologists forecast
the weather, and more:'
According to Nancy, weather and
science also are Gross' hobbies, allud-
ing to the Schmidt-Cassegrain tele-
scope that sits in their living room.
"Aside from meteorology, astronomy
is near the top, along with archaeology
and paleontology," Gross said.
Gross' family is used to having peo-
ple ask about the weather." My friends
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know him from TV so at school they
come up to me and ask me what the
temperature is going to be for the day,"
said son Adam, who maintains that
even after seeing his dad on TV his
whole life, he still thinks it's nice.
"When tornado sirens go off, our
phone starts ringing with people ask-
ing if they have to go into the base-
ment," Nancy said.
At times, the reports are unsolicited.
"All someone has to do is casually
mention that they're planning a trip
Up North or even to Europe and Paul
might write up a weather forecast for
them," Nancy said. "Or he will proac-
tively call relatives in Florida to make
sure they know if an expected hurri-
cane is going to be bad or not."
Colleague Chuck Gaidica said, "Paul
can have the drive of two men when
pursuing a story or covering a weather
event. Paul is our weather producer at
WDIV. That basically means that he
coordinates everything going on in the
weather office. He bridges one air shift
to the next so he also brings continu-
ity to the office as each on-camera
forecaster works on air.
"He has always been person-
ally dedicated to his craft. Whether
through continuing education — and
associated credentials — or actually
chasing tornadoes with me, he is most
dedicated;' Gaidica said. "He eats,
sleeps and breathes weather?' ❑
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September 10 • 2009
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