Interview with Alaska of Hangar 18

Veteran MC Alaska has been ripping mics across the country since the late 90's. One-third of the group Hangar 18 and one-eighth of the legendary rap collective Atoms Family, he's put it down in places as small as the Nuyorican Poet's Café and as large as Irving Plaza, to audiences as diverse as poetry aficionados to gutter punks on the Vans Warped Tour. He's shared stages with Sadat X, Chuck D, and just about every independent rap hero you can think of. I caught up with Alaska recently and tried to find out what's new and what his opinion is on the current state of things.

Reggie: Some big moves made in the off-season, huh? How does it feel to see the winning Red Sox team of 2004 scattered among so many other ball clubs?

Alaska: It's been a pretty eventful off-season. The team is not in as bad shape as most people think, but Larry Luccino is not necessarily good for the team. The ownership needs to step up and take away his personnel powers. He ran Theo out of town. Plus the upheaval in the front office pretty much caused Johnny Damon to walk away. I'm not saying that they should have resigned him--granted he is a great lead off hitter--but he is 35, his arm is weak and he wanted 4 to 5 years. I am saying they should have atleast been present when negotiating with such an important piece of the team. I can't blame him for walking away--and yes he is gay for going to the Yankees.
As for the '04 team, I am sad that they never had a chance to defend their title. They lost Pedro, Lowe, Cabrara (my personal favorite Sox from that year), and Dave Roberts. It would have been nice to see them stick together. This year they lost even more with Millar, Mueller, and Damon. Plus, considering the potential of a Manny trade, by next year its going to be a completely new team. If they are going to rebuild they should completely dedicate themselves to rebuilding, get rid of the high-priced veteran contracts and start with a youth movement. One good thing about Pedro going to the Mets is getting to watch him pitch every 4 or 5 days. He still is an amazing pitcher when he is in his zone and he stepped it up a notch last year.

Reggie: Pedro did do some incredible pitching at times last year, especially towards the end of the season when Randolph left him in for seven or more innings. I think a reliance on veteran contracts is something that is hurting a lot of teams in MLB. Even if they get a solid player, there's often no connect with the existing fans and so it leaves a kind of bittersweet feeling like, I'm glad my team is doing well, but who the hell is this old geezer? Still, without decent farm teams you can't expect MLB teams to cull decent young talent, and for the most part it seems like that's all happening on the East and a little in the South. Or do you think that the pool of young talent available is enough to satisfy the potential demand for new players? Do you think that the decisions to sign veterans is predicated totally on numbers or do you think marketing and fan attendance plays a part in these decisions as well?

Alaska: That's the modern era, you have to love your team and just know that chances are it will look very different every three years or so. There will always be teams that have four or so core players, but the parts are going to change year in and year out. For instance, look at the Yankees: Jeter is always going to be their face, but the rest of the team will be different. It's the free agent era. I wouldnt be suprised if, down the line, kids switch team loyalty with their favorite players. Especially with things like the internet, the MLB cable package, etc., it's easy to follow someone around the league, and you don't necessarily need to have a favorite team that's local to watch them day in and day out. I dont have a problem with players moving around and looking for better opportunities for themselves and their families--shit, you wouldnt expect your friends to stay at a job when another company offers to double their salary just because they have friends at the company, how can you expect a ball player to stay with a team when there is another club willing to pay him enough money over the next four years to secure him for life? You can't.
I dont know if a pure youth movement is the best way to go, but when you have a strong farm team you have options. You can trade for the few missing pieces in a potential championship team when you have strong prospects. Struggling teams will always trade a star now for a few potential pieces of a future championship. Why not? With free agency, you dont have the luxury of building a team that is going to be with you for 10 years.

Reggie: I think we have definitely seen baseball fandom be more player- and less team-oriented in the last decade or two, which I suppose is not a terrible thing. It means we will have to change the lyrics of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" so that instead of root, root, rooting for the home team, we root for the most photogenic or the guy with the best stats. The pressure for budding free agents to be picked up by other teams is partially responsible, I believe, for the rampant use of steroids and other performance enhancers in baseball. If a player isn't competing to be on another team, then he might play more solidly and feel more like he is defending something more honorable than a corporate logo. At the same time, if a player's salary isn't commensurate with how they play, then they may get lazy. What's your opinion on this controversial and fascinating issue?

Alaska: Well, unlike most, I dont have a problem with 'roids in baseball. Sure, it ruins the sanctity of the game, but so does $8 beers for crying out loud. It's easy to yell that salaries are out of control and that the league isn't fair to small market teams, etc., but honestly, so fucking what? It's a free market economy. Why are we worried about the small market ball club when we don't worry about the small market coffee shop or book store? And as far as salaries are concerned, if owners can afford to pay them, then the owners must be making a shit ton more money. An owner isn't going to bankrupt his own pocket to pay a 28 year-old kid who throws 98 mph, but he'll overpay 11 million a year if he can afford it. The fans scream cause ticket prices are too high, etc. Don't fucking go. Stop supporting the team. "Then what will we do with our lives?" you ask--I dont fucking know, maybe eat dinner with your family? Perhaps go to the gym and drop the 85 pounds you put on sitting on your ass watching a bunch of overpaid fuckers. Live your own fucking life. Basically what I'm saying is: baseball ain't really that important due to the fact that people are worried more about some bullshit issues like 'roids or salaries, but cant be bothered to question this administration's motives for war because they would have to look somewhere other than espn.com to get the facts.
Dont get me wrong, I love the game. I think it is a great game, but I don't feel sorry for people who get so upset over it. At the end of the day, it's just a fucking game.