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Tim Howard's life in a fishbowl -- and why he doesn't tweet
SI.com , March 9th, 2010 7:06PM
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Grant Wahl traveled to England for an extensive interview with U.S. and Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard, who has been playing in the English Premier League since leaving MLS in 2003. While Howard prepares for this summer's World Cup, Everton is on a roll, having won eight games overall in 2010, including wins over Chelsea and Manchester United, after a slow start to the season.

On being a soccer star in England, Howard said, "It's like you're in a fishbowl. Little kids know who you are. Adults know who you are. Grandmas and grandpas know who you are. ... Your face is plastered everywhere 24 hours a day. Newspapers. Television. When you first come over as a player it's really, really weird. People say odd comments, both negative and positive, and you're getting it buying coffee, buying a newspaper, picking your kids up from school. There's always someone there with eyes on you or something to say. And the games mean so much to these people that they're always pointing a finger, good or bad. It's really hard to get used to at first. Your head feels like it's spinning. But eventually you come around."

Howard says Landon Donovan's loan stint with Everton has been fantastic: "He's really gotten along with the guys and the people around the club and the staff members. The fans have taken to him, which is a no-brainer. You come in and help Everton win, and they're going to love you. That's just the way they are. On the field he's done really well. He's showed his talent getting forward, running at people, and he's got a fantastic touch and a nose for the goal when he gets there. He'll kind of be like a cult hero here, because he's here-today-gone-tomorrow, and in that little time he played really well."

Wahl mentioned that Howard doesn't have a Twitter account, to which the goalkeeper said, "No, no, no. I think it's the dumbest thing ever [laughs]. If you're on it I apologize, but for me I don't need Twitter. I always tell people, 'Listen, if you're a friend of mine and you're on Twitter and I need to figure something out, I'll call you, I'll text you.' The only person I would want to see on Twitter would be Barack Obama." Wahl noted, "Obama is on Twitter."

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