HOUSTON -- Convinced Yankees fans are ready to embrace a new generation of Baby Bombers, owner Hal Steinbrenner watched Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge hit home runs in their first major league at-bats last weekendI was emotional. It doesnt happen often, he said Wednesday. Im very excited about this.Progress shown by catcher Gary Sanchez, Judge and Austin persuaded Steinbrenner to approve the trade of Carlos Beltran to Texas and the decision to release Alex Rodriguez, who was owed $27 million more by the Yankees through 2017. Steinbrenner also green-lighted the trades of relievers Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller.Those moves were strenuous, given he is a son of George Steinbrenner, the most aggressive pursuer of stars after the free agent era began in 1976.Its kind of been my DNA, right, to absolutely not trade anybody at the trade deadline. If anything were normally buyers, right? Steinbrenner said Wednesday at baseballs quarterly owners meeting. So I had to overcome a little bit of DNA issues I think in that regard.But, he says, revenue sharing and the luxury tax have changed baseballs economic landscape, meaning the Yankees cant outspend other teams to fill every need with free agents.Its a different world than it was 15, 20, maybe even 10 years ago, he said. Theres a lot of teams out there that now have the wherewithal to spend money on the free agents. ... Theres a lot of competition, where my dad, there was less.The Yankees are a changin, dropping the age of their roster as they retool in the post-Derek Jeter-Mariano Rivera era, trying to win their first title since 2009. New York started eight players 26 or under Sunday, the first time that happened in 49 years. Steinbrenner said watching fan reaction on social media and seeing how many sponsors wanted to meet young first baseman Greg Bird during spring training were a sign the teams fan base was ready for a rebuild.He praised 32-year-old Brian McCann, who has two years remaining on his contract but has lost playing time to Sanchez in the last two weeks.It was always the case that Sanchez at some point was going to come up and hopefully come up to stay, Steinbrenner said. So well cross that bridge in the offseason when we come to it, but McCanns a great player, too.Despite the pivot, dont expect the Yankees to go totally young, not with the need to sell tickets and attract television viewers for their YES Network.Im not naive. This is New York City. Our fans want marquee players, too, and I wanted marquee players because theyre good veterans and theyre good mentors, in many cases, so thats always going to be there, Steinbrenner said.Outfielder Clint Frazier, shortstop Gleyber Torres and left-hander Justus Sheffield were acquired in recent trades and joined a minor league system that already included touted infielder Jorge Mateo and outfielder Blake Rutherford.Steinbrenner expects the trio brought up this month to be joined next year by Bird, the first baseman who missed this season following shoulder surgery; pitcher Luis Severino, who struggled this year and has been sent to the minor leagues three times; and pitcher Bryan Mitchell, who has been sidelined with a toe injury since spring training.One or two of these guys may have to go back down. Who knows? Its not an uncommon tale, right? Steinbrenner said. But sooner or later we expect them all to be here for good.Despite shedding veterans, the Yankees (61-59) remain on the periphery of contention for a playoff berth.Theres no white flag here for me. There was no surrender, Steinbrenner said. If you had seen me get rid of (Michael) Pineda and (Nathan) Eovaldi and (Brett) Gardner, then you could probably make a case.He praised general manager Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi.Joe can do nothing about the lack of run production. Thats been the problem this year -- its the inconsistency and the underperforming with the offense, 80 percent of it as far as Im concerned, particularly in the middle of the lineup.Rodriguezs deal to become a senior adviser through 2017 allows him to create a schedule that doesnt interfere with family time and will allow A-Rod to broadcast. Steinbrenner admitted there was tension created by the decision to bench A-Rod.The last week was unfortunate at times, he said, but we all got through it.Rodriguez said he wont play for another team this season. Steinbrenner said if Rodriguez decides to play for another team next year, he would be welcome to return to the Yankees as an adviser after that.Its intended to be a very flexible situation, he said. Running Shoes Outlet . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. Discount Running Shoes Sale . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. http://www.cheaprunningshoes.us/ . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. Cheapest Running Shoes Store . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. Clearance Running Shoes Online . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. The Sprint Cup Series season draws to a close, but not before we have one more chance to sit down, enjoy a caffeinated beverage and figure out one more fantasy lineup together.Last week, we went racing at Phoenix. I loved Kevin Harvick with all my heart. He had not just won five of the last six Phoenix races but dominated most of them.Harvick had a decent enough day, finishing fourth for 45 points, sixth-best in the field. But he didnt lead a lap.Another driver led more than half of the race, but it was maybe not whom you expected. Alex Bowman, driving in place of the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr., led 194 laps from the pole and added a race-high 58 fastest laps for 110.5 points, 38 more than any other driver.The kicker is Bowman only cost $6,900, and he has the most points of any sub-$7,000 driver this season by far. The second-best day from a DFS option that cheap was Ricky Stenhouse Jr.s run from 25th to second at Bristol.Bowman was my top bargain-basement special of the weekend. Not that Im patting myself on the back, but sometimes I like to give myself a little affirmation.Anyway, weve got one race to go, and its at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Its another 1.5-mile track, the 11th such race this season. Its not a copy of Texas or Charlotte, but your basic principles that lead to success at those tracks hold true.Another plot twist is this is the season finale, and four drivers will be competing for a championship, with the highest finisher among the four taking the title. This is only the third year with this championship format. How has it affected things in the past?In 2014, three of the four drivers going for the championship finished among the top-four fantasy plays. But it was Jeff Gordon, from the pole, who put up a race-best 104.75 points.Last year, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick finished second and fourth as Chase drivers, but both of them were looking up at Kyle Larson, who didnt lead much but drove from 23rd to fifth.None of the drivers had a poor race either, which could make one or two of them excellent fantasy plays this weekend.For more, heres my early-week fantasy picks to get you started at Homestead. But check back after qualifying for my final picks and fades.Im startinng my team with.dddddddddddd..Given that we only run at this track once a year, and even then its under some unusual circumstances as the season finale, its tough to weigh past track performance and the recent showings on similar tracks. But I think the driver whos best weaving those two tapestries together is Joey Logano.In the last 1.5-mile race, Logano led 178 laps and finished second at Texas. Hes had a top-three finish in three of the last four such races. Meanwhile, at Homestead, Logano led 72 laps and finished fourth last year in this race, for 65.5 DraftKings points.Keep an eye on these fourJimmie Johnson: This is a rare track, where Johnson has never won, but in his championship seasons he never really came to the season finale needing to win to clinch a title. Im more interested in the fact that in the four 1.5-mile track races since the start of the Chase, Johnson has twice topped 100 laps led.Carl Edwards: A third driver going for a championship, Edwards has cost less than $9,000 in the last two 1.5-mile track races, so he can fit more easily on your roster than Logano and Johnson. Edwards has won twice at Homestead, and in the last two 1.5-mile track races, he has put up more than 25 fastest laps, 35 laps led, and finished in the top two in both.Kasey Kahne: Four Chase races on 1.5-mile tracks, and its four top-10 finishes for Kahne. And in each of those races, Kahne moved up at least nine spots from his starting position, a combined +54 in those four races. That makes him, on average, the fourth-best fantasy driver.Ryan Newman: An odd little fantasy trend is that in the last six 1.5-mile track races, Newman has been part of the perfect lineup. He enters the weekend on a nine-race stretch of top-20 finishes on 1.5-mile tracks, with five top 10s in the last seven races. Hes not going to give you many laps led -- he has led one in the last 15 1.5-mile track races -- but he is a safe fantasy play.Thats all I have for you today. Check back again this weekend for my season finale. Wishing you a happy offseason filled with scrumptious holiday meals. ' ' '