Yesterday I took a look back at the players who were particularly helpful to the Yankees in 2010, or represented organizational bright spots at the Major League level. As we continue to look back on the season that was prior to the start of the World Series, let’s take a look at the things that, well, didn’t go quite so right.

Derek Jeter:

Might as well tackle the big fish straight away. We all know this already, we talked about it about it all season, but The Captain did not have a good year. Even if we didn’t expect him to repeat his outstanding 2009 performance, I don’t think many of us would have guessed Jeter to be a mere .270/.340/.370 hitter. All of those numbers are easily career lows for Jeter, as was his 2.5 fWAR. 2010 was the first time since his rookie season that Jeter has been worth less than 3 wins. Just as alarming were career highs in GB% and O-Swing%. All in all, it’s more than fair to call this the worst season of Jeter’s career. Hopefully he bounces back at least a little next year. Things are going to get very awkward in the Bronx if The Captain can’t become at least a 3 win player in the next couple of years.

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I’m sure the allure was there to hire a “young gun” like Josh Byrnes, but it’s hard to argue with the selection of Sandy Alderson:

The 62-year-old Alderson, who built the powerhouse Oakland teams of the 1980s, comes to the Mets after spending the last year-plus as a consultant to MLB. Alderson’s most recent stint in a major league front office came as Padres CEO from 2005-09. Alderson previously served as MLB’s executive vice president of operations.

Alderson doesn’t come across as one of those guys who will watching over his shoulder, wondering if ownership has his back. The Wilpons needed to get a guy in this role who will immediately command respect around the league and Alderson is just that guy. He also won’t be afraid to make the tough decisions that need to be made to fix the Mets mess. Being part of The Big Boys Club won’t/didn’t hurt, either:

It was Selig who pro-actively told Alderson he could leave his position with MLB if he were interested in the Mets position. The commissioner clearly was looking to help his longtime friend, Fred Wilpon, by making available an executive of stature just at a time in Mets history when the organization needed that quality badly.

Nice job, fellas. Now quit it with the “Sandman” thing. We got that one covered.

Hold your panic, please.

New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia will undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee…The diagnosis was made at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and the Yankees consider the surgery to be minor, the Post reported late Tuesday night. Sabathia should recover in about three weeks’ time and have no lingering issues when spring training starts.

While I am nowhere near CC’s size, I had the same procedure 20 years ago and there have been no lingering effects whatsoever. It’s an outpatient thing. Mine was done by the team physician for Syracuse, in Syracuse (so I could do my rehab on campus) and following the procedure, my folks and I made the 3 hour drive home. I was walking without crutches the next day and I’ve been known to milk every injury for as long as possible… Nothing to panic about.

That said, you don’t want CC’s shock absorbers to take too much of a beating too soon. Something to watch but not freak about.

Given that his Plan B and sole source of leverage went poof, a deal with Girardi seems imminent:

The deal is expected to be for about $3 million per year for three years. Girardi’s first contract is up; he earned about $7.5 million for the past three years.

Negotiatons shouldn’t take very long, according to the report.

Gee, I can’t imagine why the negotiations would take very long. I can see Girardi’s agent leaning over to Joe, saying: “Pssst, Joe. Take the friggin’ deal. Now. Just sign it.”

Also imminent: Brien looking for a high, narrow ledge.

Cliff Lee was interviewed a little while ago as part of media day for the World Series and predictably was asked about his wife’s comments that appeared in Bob Nightengale’s story in USA today concerning some embarrassingly boorish Yankee fans allegedly heckling, throwing beer, and even spitting at Lee’s wife as she say in the visiting family section at Yankee Stadium for game 3 of the ALCS.

Lee was about as straight-forward as he could have been in blowing off the incident. “You can’t control 50,000 people,” Lee said, and later added, “I know it’s been made into a big deal, but that’s all it is…just 2 or 3 or 4 people acting like fools.” Asked specifically whether it would impact his free agency decision, Lee said that he didn’t “know the guy who did it,” then said in no uncertain terms, “who cares?”

ESPN New York’s Andrew Marchand also spoke to Lee’s agent, who also stated that the incident would have no bearing whatsoever on Lee’s impending free agency.