So we’re thinking Tony Stewart killed future relationships with the Goodyear tire folks. Dale Earnhardt Jr. did the same.

They were not happy with the performance of those tires over the weekend. And they were not shy about it.

Here is how ESPN.com’s Terry Blount summed up it: “As far as some of the drivers are concerned, the square rocks on Fred Flintstone’s car are softer and preferable to the Goodyear tires the Sprint Cup teams used Sunday.”

Ouch! Listen to the stars complain:

“If I were Goodyear, I’d be very embarrassed about the tire they brought this weekend,” Stewart said. “It was ridiculous. If they can’t do better than that, pull out of the sport. I guarantee you that Hoosier or Firestone could do a better job than that.

“To tell us the week before the race we have a new tire and expect everyone figure it out is very disappointing. I guess that’s why they got run out of Formula One, the IRL, CART and USAC, you name it. They couldn’t keep up and provide a quality product. Maybe they don’t have enough quality people. We had a tire that didn’t meet the standards of the competition. You felt like you were holding your breath all day. I’m real excited I didn’t crash. I’ve been racing 28 years and never seen a racing tire like this weekend.”

Now, it’s Earnhardt’s turn: “I know Goodyear doesn’t like criticism, but I’m not going to sit here and put up with this. We couldn’t race side by side or we would wreck. Hopefully we can all get along and do something about this.

“Please don’t bring this tire to Darlington. As horrible as today was, that would be worse. I’m not part of the test, but I’m going just to ask drivers how it feels out there.”

It’s going to be tough working those sound bites into a Goodyear commercial . . .

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while Illinois State sweats out its at-large NCAA Tournament berth:

• Now that Missouri State has fired basketball coach Barry Hinson, should he sue the NCAA for damages? Shouldn’t his Bears have earned two or three career-extending NCAA berths?
• Shouldn’t the selection committee pay for this callous mistreatment?
• What took the Blues so long to give Martin Rucinsky his permanent press box pass?
• Who knew that Andy Murray had such high pain tolerance?

QUIPS ‘R US

Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:

Greg Cote, Miami Herald: “NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wants to deter another Spygate with tougher rules to include unannounced inspections of any team. Basically, he wants the right to Beli-check anybody, anytime.”

Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, on how the Hall of Fames should handle the Barry Bonds asterisk ball: “What the HOF should do now is open an entire wing celebrating the game’s dark side . . . The HOF’s new wing could feature corked bats, scuffed baseballs, Vaseline-smeared caps. Finally, a spot for Pete Rose! A display of Charlie Hustle’s gambling slips and the phone he used to place bets from his office. Also: The suit and mustache Rafael Palmeiro wore while setting Congress straight on his steroid non-use … Mickey Mantle’s flask … Jose Canseco’s conscience, under a microscope … The minutes of the 1946 meeting of major league team owners when they voted 15-1 to keep blacks out of the national pastime … John Rocker, stuffed and mounted … Shoeless Joe Jackson’s shoes … Ted Williams’ head.”

Dan Daly, Washington Times: “This cheating episode involving Carl Edwards’ racecar has given me a great idea. The next time a cop pulls me over, I’m going to say, “I really wasn’t speeding, officer. It’s just that my oil tank lid fell off.”

Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel: “Professional golfer Tripp Isenhour of Orlando issued an apology for intentionally hitting golf balls into a tree and killing a red-shouldered hawk that was reportedly making a constant and distracting ‘kee-aah’ sound during the taping of a golf instructional video. What exactly was the name of the video — To Kill a Mocking Bird? It’s no wonder Isenhour lost his PGA Tour card and is now playing on the Nationwide Tour. Maybe he should concentrate more on making birdies instead of killing them.”

MEGAPHONE

“There’s a lot of teams with size in the West. We added size, let alone a guy with championship experience. One win isn’t going to say we’re a finished product, but we’re on our way, I think, to improving and getting to a place where we’re going to feel confident once the playoffs come around.”

Suns guard Steve Nash, after his team finally won a game with Shaquille O’Neal.