Dave D'Onofrio follows Boston's pro players away from the field, court or ice, covering their interests and activities in the community and beyond.

A Massachusetts native, once his dreams of becoming the next Jody Reed proved unrealistic, he enrolled at Boston University and embarked on a career in sports journalism that has taken him to the World Series, the Daytona 500, the Super Bowl -- and hundreds of free press meals in between.

After receiving six awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors during an eight-year run at the Concord Monitor, he is now a freelance writer who also covers the on-field happenings of the Red Sox and Patriots for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. He lives on the North Shore with his wife, a dog named after Eleanor Roosevelt, and an unquenchable thirst for fountain soda.