Dustin Richardson could never take the place of your man.

Hi, Dustin. You know how cute I always thought you were.

Richardson's a man of mystery to me, so today I will learn about him.

Fundamentally, Richardson's a very tall 26 year old lefty from Kansas. Boston drafted him fifth round in 2006 from Texas Tech. I'm pretty sure he's someone's dad?

the earth and sky:
1. Richardson's major league debut came in late September, 2009, versus the Blue Jays.
2. Richardson played basketball in college, of course.
3. Richardson got 22 starts while in Portland in 2008. The next year in Portland, he only worked as a reliever. He was promoted to Pawtucket on August 21st, 2009.
4. Dustin Richardson is probably not a Juggalo.
5. Richardson's change-up is a work in progress, which means that it sucks and he shouldn't use it.
6. "FB 92-94, CB 78, CH 79-80. Big body, heavy FB, lacks balance and coordination, prohibits him from becoming frontline starter. Definite bullpen candidate, could be ML LH bullpen help." - Baseball Beginnings
7. "The Texas Tech product ferociously attacks the strike zone with his four-seam and two-seam fastballs, and uses the pitch to pile up strikeouts: he notched 97 in those 74 frames, and lives for the adrenaline boost of the big punch-out." - Providence paper
8. Chill out, Spartacus: "I get a lot of swings and misses with my fastball, and that’s what I rely on, my fastball," Richardson said. "If I don’t strike somebody out that inning even if I get a seven-pitch inning, and I don’t strike somebody out, I don’t feel as good –– might lose some confidence, you know?" Yes, we see.
9. This Dustin Richardson v Brian Shouse argument was great! "The Red Sox will choose Richardson if they want a mop-up reliever who can pitch multiple innings -- he has that background as a starting pitcher, after all -- and if they believe his learning curve would be accelerated by starting the season in the major leagues." (from B. MacPherson's 'One if by Land blog')
10. In 2008, Richardson played winter ball in Hawaii (North Shore Honu).
11. "Richardson nearly made Texas Tech's basketball team as a walk-on and was featured prominently in ESPN's related reality show, "Knight School." - SoSH Wiki
12. "Richardson fights through an injury to impress Knight and his staff..." from a 'Knight School' review
13. And now I'm getting the feeling that the whole reality show was some bullshit and Richardson had never intended to do anything but play baseball. "I had fun on the show ... It was a great experience for me. My first love is baseball and it's where the future lies for me with a chance to play professionally. Basketball is another love, and to have a chance to play for Coach Knight and with the other players would have been awesome."
14. Awww... "Dustin Richardson, a Newton native and Boston Red Sox baseball player, recently paid a visit to Chisholm Middle School to touch base with some of his former teachers and sign autographs for students."
15. "If all goes well for Richardson, he could be the heir to Hideki Okajima as the Red Sox’ primary lefty reliever." - MLB Fantasy Prospects
16. Daniel Bard on Richardson: "No one was happier to have Dustin Richardson in the bullpen this past week than I was. With him here, I don't have to pack up the cooler to bring out to the bullpen anymore. I stopped carrying out the cooler after last year because that's a rookie deal. But having the least amount of service time of the pitchers, doesn't matter if I'm the youngest or not, I still have to pack it when Richardson isn't here. As long as he's here, I'm off the hook."
17. DR: "You know the movie "For Love of the Game," with Kevin Costner, where the pitcher says "Clear the mechanism"? That's what pitching is. It's visualization to throw to a target." from a 2006 D. Laurila interview. Sorry, I have never seen that movie. Does it hurt?
18. Please enjoy this video of Richardson's heinous balk. I would have been so embarrassed.
18. Dustin Richardson is from a landlocked state and has probably never surfed in his life. Or tried marijuana. Or worn seashell jewelry.
19. Baseball Paul takes a look at DR while he was in the AFL (with video!).
20. Richardson had a "fatigued quad" during 2010 spring training.
21. Richardson played in the AFL All-Star Game in 2009.

There, I'm done. Damn, Dustin Richardson is boring. So much for mystery.