Put Tannehill on "short leash"? Poll. Vote!; plus topless Olympian, Michael Sam, Beatles, LeBron dunk show, Puig's dogs, Dumb Starbucks & more

It's Radio Tuesday!: I'm back in-studio with the Dan Le Batard Show today for my landmark 11th national appearance. It's 3-7 on 790 & 104.3 the Ticket, 4-7 on ESPN National. Ears welcome.

1) It is TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11. LeBron James says he'd win the All-Star dunk contest if he entered. Well, no duh. Click LeBron Dunk Show for proof; this was after yesterday's Heat practice in Phoenix. 2) Bruce Springsteen playing Sunrise arena on April 29. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Olympics poll, Dolphins draft, Canes QB's actress mom, Marlins projection & more. 4) Follow us on Twitter @gregcote and also on Instagram, Vine and Facebook.

The Michael Sam column: Click HERE for today's latest column by me, on Michael Sam, the Missouri All-American defensive lineman who revealed his homosexuality and thus is likely to become the NFL's first openly gay player.

ON RYAN TANNEHILL'S (SUPPOSEDLY) SHAKY GROUND: We find ourselves in a time when the vessel for major news being broken might be a 140-character Tweet, perhaps from someone little-known. Even the definition of "news" evolves as competing outlets fight to be first first, and accurate second. Increasingly the sources for "news" are anonymous, a troubling, credibility-corrupting trend. I see it everywhere, including in my own newspaper. It is in this context that I read a recent online column by CBSSports' NFL writer Jason La Canfora. It was an overview of the tough challenges awaiting new Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey, but buried within was a nugget implying that coach Joe Philbin's patience with QB Ryan Tannehill might be fragile. The ever-popular Anonymous Source said that Philbin told potential GM candidates as much in recent interviews. The suggestion is that if Tannehill falters, there might be little hesitation in a move to backup Matt Moore. This is was rather vague speculation standing on the balsa-wood legs of anonymity, yet, of course, it was regurgitated as news, as with this ensuing headline on ESPN.com: Report: Tannehill on shorter leash in 2014. Yes, so now it becomes an "issue," real or not. It becomes a question for Tannehill and Philbin to deal with as the season approaches. Two thoughts. First, if this is true, and I don't assume it is, Philbin was unwise to undermine his starting quarterback to job-seekers from other teams. That's needlessly creating controversy. Second, true or not, coming into this season as all but a declared lame-duck coach puts Philbin in a tough spot. It'll be playoffs-or-bust for him to keep his job (a perception/assumption hardening to fact) and that could lead Philbin to make decisions that are short-sighted, with his own derriere in mind, more than with the club's best long-term interests in mind. There would be no greater example than at QB, where benching Tannehill for Moore might seem smart to win a particular game but might not be smart if you understand that Tannehill, not Moore, is the better long-term solution. For me, Tannehill showed enough progress in Year 2 to not enter Year 3 feeling any "short leash" tightening around his neck. Your thoughts are invited. Take a dip in our poll and say why.

TOPLESS OLYMPIAN MAKES SOCHI GAMES LOOK BETTER: I'm sorry but I love a topless-Olympian scandal. Always have. Topless photos of Lebanese skier Jackie Chamoun have turned up (see right), which does qualify as a scandal in conservative Lebanon. An investigation has ensued!

ME AND THE BEATLES: Yes, I was alive when the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show 50 years ago. I was too young to recall watching, although I've seen the video so many times I think it has
transmogrified over time into an adopted memory. Soon after that I'd cajoled my folks into buying me a Beatles wig (pictured) and Beatles boots, both the rage back then. The first singles (45s) I remember buying were the Beatles' "She Loves You," along with "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Byrds), "Dance Dance Dance" (Beach Boys) and "The Locomotion" (Little Eva). The Beatles, Rolling Stones and early Motown populated my early life's soundtrack, but it was the hysteria surrounding the Beatles coming to America that first caught my fascination. I have a vague memory of my mother listening to Elvis Presley music in our house, but it just never hit me the way the Beatles' sound did. I'll always credit the Fab Four for igniting in me what would become a lifelong passion for music. Now I ask you: For those who also love music, who was the artist or group that first caught your ear in a meaningful way, and why? Do you remember the first 45, LP, 8-track, cassette or CD you ever bought?

Poll result: Summer Olympics kick Winter's a--: We asked in the last blogpost how you feel about the Olympics (you may still vote), and you preferred the Summer over the Winter by an almost 6-1 margin, 37.9 percent to 6.4%. Another 30.8% said they liked both, and 24.9% said they don't follow either.

BLOG EXCLUSIVE: YASIEL PUIG WALKS HIS DOGS!: Like many professional athletes young Dodgers star Yasiel Puig lives in the Miami area. He just bought a home in upscale Gables by the Sea, where he is seen walking his two bulldogs and posing with three Columbus High ballplayers. The young athletes obviously were very excited for the opportunity to be photographed standing next to such handsome dogs.

"HEY LET'S GO GET A CARAMEL FLAN LATTE AT DUMB STARBUCKS":  Dig this because the Starbucks lawyers will make sure it doesn't last. There is a newly opened coffee shop in Los Feliz, Cal., outside L.A., called Dumb Starbucks, a self-described "work of parody art" that uses the Starbucks logo. At least until the restraining order kicks in. Every menu item includes the word, as in Dumb Caramel Flan Latte. As a man of the people -- a Dunkin Donuts guy who finds that Starbucks is a bit high-brow and (in the words of Peter Griffin) "insists upon itself" -- I find this parody to be rather brilliant, if undoubtedly short-lived.

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