"There's a reason why outfielder Alex Rios is always a bit guarded with the media when discussing what went wrong last season.

After all, when a player feels as though he has ''lost it'' and his career might be over at 28, it's not exactly a moment he's looking to revisit.

On Tuesday, Rios was discussing the start of his 2010 season (.271, three home runs, nine RBI). In doing so, he opened up about how bad things got for him in 2009.

''This good start gives you that confidence that you can do it, that you can still do it,'' Rios said before the White Sox' game against the Texas Rangers. ''Last year was a long year for me, and I went through a lot. To be honest with you, I thought I lost it. When you come back and feel the way I'm feeling now, it gives you that confidence back that you still have it.''

Asked to explain what he meant by ''lost it,'' Rios said: ''It was bad, man. It was a bad feeling. I was like, 'Man, is this it? Is this all I've got now?' I couldn't figure it out. I had too many things on my mind, and it was pretty tough.''

That was why the Sox decided Rios should walk away from the game for the first two months of the offseason. No batting cage, no long toss, nothing with a bat and ball. That might have been just what he needed."