Tim Howard and tourettes syndrome

Discussion in 'Yanks Abroad' started by puddleduck, Apr 15, 2004.

  1. puddleduck

    puddleduck Member

    Mar 15, 2002
    Providence, RI
    When he was first signed by ManU Tim Howard took some fairly classless stick in the English press for suffering from tourettes. The worst of it seemed to hope he would be carded weekly for foul outbursts; at best the press presented Timmy as having overcome his tourettes in order to play well.

    I recently had the privledge to a attend a talk by the neuroscientist Oliver Sacks (of "Awakenings" and "The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat" fame) which made me think that Timmy may be a great keeper *because* he has tourettes, not be despite it.

    The talk was on the nature of our perception of time, which (as anyone who has smoked pot, nearly died or been bored knows) is not constant.

    Amoung many other things he discussed the way that athletes fequently describe a sense of time slowing down as they execute difficult skills. He used the well-worn example of the batter who can distinquish the stiches on a baseball as it moves at over 90 mph and take the time to decide where to hit it. This implies an ability to parse the environment at a rate far in excess of the rate of 10 gestalts (or images) per second that seems to be the norm for most people.

    He suggests that one aspect of athletic ability is the learned ability to slow one's perceptions down in this way.

    With regard to people with tourettes syndrome he talked about how they sometimes experience normal people as moving intolerably slowly. Most tics occur as a result of trying to slow down to the speed at which most people function. Dr Sacks described individuals who could snatch flies from the air with ease. They described the feat, not as them moving quickly, but as easy since the fly was (to them) moving so slowly.

    The other side of tourettes is the seemingly paradoxial ability to concentrate with extreme focus. He gave the example of a man with extremely violent physical tics who's hobby was building ships in a bottle. Apparently, when people with tourettes focus on an activity so intently that they "lose sense of time" all their tics disapear.

    So people with tourettes have extrordinary reflexs and an ability to focus with extreme concentration ... two skills which are vital indeed in a goal keeper.

    Timmy is renowned for his reflex saves and I can't recall seeing him ever concede a goal that could be blamed on a lack of concentration. If anything his weakness are in his play off his line and his decision making generally. Goal keeping skills which one would not expect to be boosted by his tourettes and which, thankfully are learnable.

    If Tim Howard is one day considered the best keeper in the world (as I think is very possible) it may well be because of his tourettes, not despite it.
     
  2. tubby_butter

    tubby_butter Member

    Mar 22, 2002
    Providence
    Great information. Does this mean that Howard has beaten the Matrix? Do we know of any pro baseball players with tourettes?

    I am sure most Metro fans knew about Howard having tourettes, but the first I learned was from an English article. Its funny how it is such a big deal there - it gets mentioned in just about every article about him.
     
  3. Mobile

    Mobile New Member

    Jul 29, 2002
    Melbourne
    Well, it's quite unusual. Anyway, it doesn't really get mentioned any more - I haven't seen reference to it for ages.
     
  4. Stogey23

    Stogey23 Member+

    Dec 12, 1998
    San Diego, CA
    This might explain why I'm so good at horseshoes!
     
  5. Sachin

    Sachin New Member

    Jan 14, 2000
    La Norte
    Club:
    DC United
    Howard has said he doesn't take medication for his TS because he doesn't want to dull his reflexes.

    Sachin
     
  6. SoFla Metro

    SoFla Metro Member

    Jul 21, 2000
    Ft. Lauderdale, FL
    That is, to put it mildly, fascinating.
     
  7. SoFla Metro

    SoFla Metro Member

    Jul 21, 2000
    Ft. Lauderdale, FL
    Jim Eisenreich, who used to play for the Phillies (and maybe the Red Sox?) has Tourettes Syndrome.
     
  8. Achtung

    Achtung Member

    Jul 19, 2002
    Chicago
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    He played for Minnesota, Kansas City, Philly, and Florida mostly. His condition was a lot more severe than Howard's though, and one time he actually had a bout of twitches in the middle of a game while he was in the field, and had to be taken off immediately. Can't say the condition made him a great slugger, as he was mostly a singles hitter.
     
  9. pething101

    pething101 Member

    Jul 31, 2001
    Smyrna, Ga
    Club:
    West Ham United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    A pitcher that just made it to the bigs has Tourettes as well. Read about him in the NY Times or USA Today a few days ago. I, for the life of me, cannot remember his name. He faced the Phillies a couple of nights ago and did well.
     
  10. dheck

    dheck Member

    Sep 20, 1999
    Chapel Hill, NC, USA
    If Howard really does perceive a slower passage of time he probably wasn't even aware that some MLS defenders were moving at all. :)
     
  11. Northcal19

    Northcal19 New Member

    Feb 18, 2000
    Celtic Tavern LODO (

    That is f'ing funny. :D
     
  12. LifeOfBrian

    LifeOfBrian New Member

    Mar 18, 2003
    Club:
    --other--
    That's a pretty interesting take on Tourette's. Impressive.

    I thought Tim-MAY did not have a severe enough case of Tourette's to warrant taking the medication that is associated with the condition. Tourette's can be very mild, with almost imperceptible tics; to very severe, where a sufferer cannot control certain actions, such as shouting certain words out repeatedly (and not necessarily obscenities, either).

    On another note, the British press make a big deal out of it because they are ignorant. They assume, because it sells more papers, that Tourette's sufferers eff, blind and gesticulate without any control over their actions on an ongoing basis. I guess it is humourous for Brits to think that Tim-MAY might lose it on the pitch, but then personally, I think this is not too dissimilar from the way most 'keepers behave anyway ;)
     
  13. Sachin

    Sachin New Member

    Jan 14, 2000
    La Norte
    Club:
    DC United
    Some of the jokes were that, after playing with Schmichael, the players wouldn't be able to tell the difference anyway.

    Sachin
     
  14. superdave

    superdave Member+

    Jul 14, 1999
    VB, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    In the early 80's, when the Twins were collecting the core of young players who would win the World Series for them in '87, one of those young players was Jim Eisenreich. He had loads of ability, but ended up being a bust because the management thought he was hyperventilating and couldn't handle the pressure of being in the majors. It turns out he had Tourrette's. I don't know if he was misdiagnosed, or the people involved covered up his true condition.

    After washing out of baseball, he worked his way back to being a key platoon player for the early 90s Phillies, playing in the 1993 World Series.

    The former Chris Jackson (I don't recall his Muslim name) was a great, great, great college bball player, and a very good pro (in his prime.)
     
  15. Mobile

    Mobile New Member

    Jul 29, 2002
    Melbourne
    Well - not all the press. Only the tabloids. Nobody should pay any attention to those rags anyway.

    That was the assumption at first, but it was then understood fairly quickly that Timmy suffers from a different form of Tourette's.

    Exactly. And yes it would be funny if he started swearing in an interview or at a press conference. Sorry, but it would.
     
  16. Kevin in Louisiana

    Kevin in Louisiana New Member

    Feb 7, 2003
    Metairie, LA
    I'm probably butchering the spelling but something like Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. Played at LSU in college and was a huge star. Also famous for causing a flap when he refused to stand for the US national anthem.
     
  17. masterklh

    masterklh New Member

    Oct 21, 2003
    Massachusetts
    I wasnt aware he had tourettes syndrome. Im curious to know what type he has. It was mentioned somewhere that there are different forms. The only type of Tourettes that I know about is the swearing and like body spasms, but I thought they went hand in hand.
     
  18. LifeOfBrian

    LifeOfBrian New Member

    Mar 18, 2003
    Club:
    --other--
    The mildest form usually means an occasional tic, which most people on the planet might suffer from, even if they do not have Tourette's.

    It is exacerbated by stress, so I understand that Fergie is resting Tim-MAY because of this. I mean, give the guy a break - at the age of 24, moving from the US to arguably the team with the most exposure in the world and becoming their number one 'keeper. That is pretty amazing - and stressful !
     
  19. NER_MCFC

    NER_MCFC Member

    May 23, 2001
    Cambridge, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't know if there are different kinds, or if it's a matter of degree.

    That's pretty close to what I remember being used when he was playing. Years ago I read an article about him that included a few paragraphs on how the condition probably helped him do as well as he did. One aspect of the tick phenomenon is actions must be repeated either a certain number of times or until it feels just so. In his case, he repeated jump shots until the ball 'felt right' leaving his hand. It wasn't simple determination; it was the Tourettes.

    A fictional treatment of tourettes that is apparently a good description (and a great read) is Jonathan Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn.
     
  20. LifeOfBrian

    LifeOfBrian New Member

    Mar 18, 2003
    Club:
    --other--
    That sounds more like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The two can often go hand in hand, but are separate illnesses.
     
  21. m vann

    m vann Moderator
    Staff Member

    Colorado Rapids, Celtic FC, & Louisville City
    Sep 10, 2002
    Denver, CO
    Club:
    Celtic FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Great little blurb about TS. From I know and read about TS is that like most illnesses/syndrome they are easily contolled by medication and/or understanding how to coupe with it. I love the fact that Timmy isn't ashamed to admitt that he has TS and he makes it a priorty to educate people about TS. I've heard the rumors from the English press about a ManU trying to prevent TS from effecting his play. My response is this: Timmy is a class act and if TS is effcting his play, he'd be the first to admitt it. Secondly, if someone wants to publish false reports about TS effecting his play, its only because they are ignorant and misguided by their own insecurities that someone who is "handicapped" has and will contiue to suceed and defy all odds.
     
  22. Dr. Wankler

    Dr. Wankler Member+

    May 2, 2001
    The Electric City
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    My first thought when I saw this title on page one was, "did someone else link to that Sun article again?" and I considered not bothering to click. Damn glad I did. Good stuff here.

    Didn't Sir Alex have a bout of that a year or two ago?
     
  23. Mobile

    Mobile New Member

    Jul 29, 2002
    Melbourne
    Yes. The "Youse ur all f*****g idiots" rant. How appropriate from a Knight of the Realm.
     
  24. dark knight

    dark knight Super Moderator
    Staff Member

    Dec 15, 1999
    Club:
    Leicester City FC
    I may be misunderstanding what you are saying, but I think you may be mis-stating this. Where has it been said other than possibly the Sun that Tim needs a rest because of Tourettes symptom's getting worse? The increase in symptoms may show that Tim is under stress, but if he needs a break, it's because of stress itself, not because his Tourette's is getting worse. You make it sound like Tim's condition is forcing him to take a rest, which as far as I know is incorrect.
     
  25. dark knight

    dark knight Super Moderator
    Staff Member

    Dec 15, 1999
    Club:
    Leicester City FC
    Well, let's face it -- movies like Deuce Bigelow don't exactly help.
     

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