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 WOMENS CONTEMPORARY BOUTIQUE DESIGNER CLOTHING, HANDBAGS AND ACCESSORIES FEATURING YIGAL AZROUEL TUCKER PORTS 1961 CALYPSO BLACK HALO CP SHADES LOVE SHOP ERES CATHERINE MALANDRINO MINT Nu MIKI THUMB PARKER BLUE 0039 ITALY MALENE BIRGER VELVET CARLOS FALCHI AND OUR NEWEST LINES GENETIC JEANS BURNING TORCH SHARON SEGAL STEVEN ALAN GEORGIE NERVE LEGER GENDER BIAS MALIBU AMERICAN VINTAGE 49 SQ. MI. Brian Masserman / Masserman Photography & Video Services, Inc. GENETIC DENIM MALENE BIRGER PORTS 1961 MONDAY - FRIDAY 10-6 SATURDAY 10-5 4076 WEST MAPLE ROAD • BLOOMFIELD HILLS Nancy, Adam, Jared and Paul Gross at Adam's 2008 bar mitzvah at N.E. CORNER OF TELEGRAPH & MAPLE, NEXT TO LEE'S SPECIALTY 248 594 8181 • shebloomfield.corn Temple Kol Ami. 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?' ❑ OAKLAND COUNTY'S PREMIER DIVORCE SPECIALIST Thinking of getting divorced? Hire an attorney who will fight for you!" CALL: 248.643.6654 sgelman@sbcglobal.net SANDOR M. GELMAN Protect what's important to you. GELMAN, ZUKIN & STEELE, P.C. ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELORS AT LAW 3001 WEST BIG BEAVER, SUITE 324 TROY, MICHIGAN 48084 PRACTICE LIMITED TO MATRIMONIAL LAW September 10 • 2009 13