Spring is in the air and although it is still in the 40s here in Chicago, softball season is just days away!

Softball was invented in Chicago as an indoor winter version of baseball. It has since grown into a very popular sport, especially in the United States. It is hard to find a park without softball games during the summer in Chicago.

There are many leagues of various play, including 12 inch (with gloves), 16 inch (without gloves) and even 14 inch (a very soft ball usually played by co-rec teams). The leagues range from ultra-competitive (semi-pro) to ‘over 50′ beer leagues.

My introduction to league play came through a co-rec work team. We played with a 14-inch ball, often called a mushball. In most co-rec leagues, men and women must alternate in the batting order. We were horrible, often losing many more games than we won, but we did have fun. I played a lot of positions, but none too well, until I was converted to a pitcher. As our company shrank, due to fiscal cutbacks, it became increasingly difficult to field a team. After our 5th season, we disbanded.

Fortunately for me, I hooked up with (fellow GT’er) Louie Atsaves’ men’s team as a backup. After a few years, I became the regular catcher. Usually we play 16-inch softball in the summer and 12-inch softball in the fall.

We are a competitive team, usually making the playoffs, although never winning the championship. I have broken a few fingers and a few other bones. I have struck out and been picked off base. However, I have also gotten key hits along the way.

I really enjoy playing and seeing the guys. Over the years, many have gotten married and now some of their kids are at the games (I swear Louie’s 7-year-old is going to take my spot any day now). As we get older and life gets busier, softball often is one of the few times every week when I can totally relax.

One great thing about softball is that it really can be played by almost anyone. There are so many types of leagues out there, you are sure to find a good fit if you are interested. I have played in many types and have enjoyed all of them.

-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist

Montreal has always been a favorite of mine. Perhaps it is because I went to school at UVM and Montreal was the closest major city to me, but I consider myself lucky to have been so close to a great international gateway.

To this day, Montreal is a favorite, and a hidden gem of North America. In my opinion, it is the food and the people that make it extra special. It is like Europe without the jetlag. The US dollar does not hold the value it used to, but the overall value still makes you feel like you are getting a deal.

I make it a point to stay in the old town at an auberge and this last trip I stayed at Auberge au Vieux Port . I found it on the Internet and could not have chosen better. I’ve stayed at other auberges before, such as Auberge Les Pessants du Sans Soucy and would recommend both, but the Auberge Au Vieux Port won my heart. I arrived to the hotel about 7 pm just when a playoff game was starting for the Canadiens (hockey team). So, of course the whole city was glued to the TV screen and had a great energy to it. However, when I checked in there were two ladies, who cared nothing about hockey, asking about where to eat. Frankly, in Montreal, you have to look very hard to find a bad restaurant. However, they took 15 minutes of the front desk’s time while I just stood there. The valet took notice right away and immediately brought me a complimentary glass of wine. I arrived to the room after and was blown away. It was gorgeous and was a standard room at a very reasonable price and even beat some 5-star hotel rooms I’ve been to. It had hard wood floors, 11-foot ceilings, flat screen TV, brand new bathroom and beautiful bed in an iron cast frame. The auberge also had a delicious restaurant on the ground floor and outdoor terrace to dine in during the summer months. It was a stunning country room in the middle of a great city. A true hideaway on a business trip, just 5 minutes by taxi downtown.

Montreal is a must see city for a quick business trip, a weekend trip for the family or a romantic getaway.

-Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher

Dick Evans and I would often talk about this and frankly, I can’t believe that eos Airlines made it as long as they did. I could never understand why frequent business travelers would pass on airlines like BA, Lufthansa, Air France and others in place of eos, Maxjet, Silverjet and L’Avion. I could not comprehend why a business class passenger would take their $6,000 ticket price and turn it over to an airline that did not offer connectivity to other destinations in Europe and the world.I thought that the network, the maintenance, the frequent flyer program and alliances would never allow these carriers to make it. I was wrong, for in the end, travelers did flock to these airlines, but it was the high price of fuel that did them in.

I flew eos just a few months ago - the service was great, the seat was very comfortable and the food was very good too. We were escorted through JFK security with an eos employee and we were chatting about how Maxjet had left employees, flight attendants and passengers stranded in the UK when they went belly up this past Christmas Eve.

Now that BA is entering the game with an all business class flight, will there be a need for these carriers? One wonders. It is difficult times out there for airlines, losses are staggering and the only answer seems to be to pass this cost onto the customer.

We all have been paying more at the pump, $45 to $50++ to fill the tank - costs have not remained constant for driving, shipping and other industries. It seems that the only way we are going to see improved airlines and service is for realistic pricing or surcharges.

-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

We all know that rising oil prices are hurting the airlines. Of course, they’re hurting all of us, but the very fact that consumers are hurting means that airlines can’t really pass all their higher costs onto passengers.

But something I hadn’t realized until recently is that consumer protections have also changed the picture. If you’re over 30, you probably remember when credit cards didn’t automatically protect you against bad sales. Today that’s pretty standard stuff, and as a result most people buy their plane tickets with credit cards exactly for that reason (among others)–if the airline goes out of business, the credit card company gives you your money back.

The credit card companies do not, however, do this entirely out of the kindness of their hearts–or, more precisely, with their own money. Because an airline folding–like Eos did today–leaves the credit card companies with a lot of exposure, they require what is called “holdbacks” from the airlines, i.e. upfront money the airline escrows with the credit card company to mitigate against loss.

Frontier, which filed for bankruptcy not long ago, cited holdbacks as a primary reason. Because their financial picture looked wobbly, at least one credit card provider asked them to put more money “down,” and to make a long story short, they didn’t have the cash to do it.

Today’s set-up is of course a benefit to travelers. If you have a ticket on a bankrupt airline, your credit card company will give you your money back; you don’t have to get in a cue of creditors and get pennies on the dollar.

That is, of course, as long as the credit card companies hold up–which they seem to be doing for now. Visa went public this year, which means losses will be shared among investors.

The moral of this story is, I guess, use your most reliable credit card to buy tickets and have a backup travel plan. These days, you almost need to read airlines’ financial reports before you can count on getting where you want to go.

–Mary Hunt, editor, eFlyer 

A friend in Israel just had a baby, and I’m shopping for a gift. I could have bought a gift when I was there earlier this month, but I decided to send one from America instead. I actually started my shopping on the airplane home, though.

In the past gifts for kids were mostly souvenirs from my travels. But what about hostess gifts, thank you gifts, and various other gifts–such as new-baby gifts–for those abroad? Especially after the fact?

Online shopping is great for that because it deals with the issues of shipping, customs and excise taxes, etc. And there are all sorts of e-commerce stores that can accommodate you. But I realized that a good place to start is sometimes with the airlines. Not only do they have those duty-free catalogs onboard, but nowadays they all seem to have online stores as well.

I wasn’t sure about Israeli gift protocols, so I was able to ask my flight attendant on the way home what she thought of some of the items in the catalog. We pretty much agreed that an adorable little pendant would be fine for a girl.

Well, of course my friends just had a boy, and I don’t see anything in online airline catalogs that I think would be appropriate, so I’m going to go back to Plan A, which is to get something tastefully tacky-touristy from Florida in a onesies–something with palm trees, or a flamingo wearing shades, maybe.

But the episode keeps reminding me that I keep forgetting to shop those online airline shops–you get miles for doing it too!

–Mary Hunt, editor, eFlyer