The economy is in the tank, temporarily, we all hope and say, but big deal sports are thriving here in Tampa Bay. Blue sky days seem surely to be ahead for this great place in which we live.

“Those involved were smart to work these deals out, and now, we can say we are dang lucky to have these special attractions that the bad economy isn’t likely to affect,” said Paul Catoe, who heads that convention and tourist agency that has a couple of new names.

Hey, we got the Super Bowl coming in February, with Reid Sigmon again in charge. He updated his committee on progress this week. He didn’t have to say that even though the economy is unrecovered, the drama, interest, public relations boost won’t be diminished. Remember, the Super Bowl was here in 1991 when the first Gulf War began. An annual NFL Friday night party was cancelled but the NFL substituted an exhibition of league memoirs, artifacts and other exhibits south of Tampa Stadium on game day and Jim Steeg’s idea now is annual and has become a marvelous circus time.

Also, while black helicopters circled the stadium and security was beefed up with Ray-Jay entry searches, that game is remembered for the National Anthem rendition of Whitney Houston and the makeable wide right north field goal try that Buffalo’s Scott Norwood missed to hand the win to the New York Giants, 20-19. Norwood ran off the field and probably is still running. Giants owner Wellington Mara went to his grave grateful to him and was always pro-Tampa in voting for Super Bowls, including the one upcoming. There were no security problems at all.

“But,” noted Leonard Levy, a member of all the committees still, “the Super Bowl coming will be sensational and packed. It has a corporate base, this event. And, it is one of many just ahead.”

Beginning almost immediately are the eagerly-awaited, first time here, baseball playoffs featuring the sports surprise of the year, the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays are a fine, complete team. They could go all the way, with home games at Tropicana Field in St. Pete. The Rays have been packing them in and will continue to do that.

Now, folks, think of that awfully long possibility of a Super Bowl at Raymond James and a World Series at the Trop and the annual college Outback Bowl, which has become a big-time postseason game. Dreaming? The Rays have a dream team managed expertly by Joe Maddon. The Bucs, well, they are but just beginning their impossible dream, trying to repeat the 2002 Super Bowl championship season no one could have predicted.

So, now that we have mentioned the World Series and Super Bowl dreams, the Tampa Bay Lightning have already begun the quest for another Stanley Cup, heading soon for Prague wih the New York Rangers for two game, then returning to their St. Pete Times home base the next week for their long regular season of games Tampa fans seem to have embraced.

The team is hopeful. Got a cache of new players but a cadre of those embraced here as Tampa stars, like Captain Vinny Lecavalier, darter Marty St. Louis, the wise Vinny Prospal and the experienced Chris Gratton, and somewhat lame Paul Ranger. New shooter Steve Stamkos got preseason raves. Barry Melrose is the new head coach, an outgoing television personality recently but former a fine player and solid coach. He’s a tough-guy coach, he says. The Lightning should do well on the ice and at the gate. Fine organization with a new, outgoing, ambitious owner who has bought a home within minutes of the arena.

That’s the professional lineup ahead. The undefeated colleges in this early going are the University of South Florida Bulls, at North Carolina State for the weekend, and Florida Gators, hosting Mississippi in Gainesville. Both are 3-0 and should be 4-0 by Sunday. Florida State hasn’t yet found an offense, but will. Miami will continue to improve with quarterback Robert Marve of Tampa soon to become a star.

But, that’s not nearly all of the sports biggies ahead here.

The Atlantic Coast Conference football championship game, Catoe tells all, is scheduled for Tampa Stadium — FSU is in the ACC — and the Southeastern Conference basketball championship tournament is booked for the Forum in March.

OK, that’s enough for now. We have our hands full, first off with the Rays and their playoffs, then the World Series, and the Outback Bowl which Jim McVay runs, then the Buccaneers and their longshot quest of being the first NFL team ever to win its way to a place in a Super Bowl in their own house.

Now, it’s not like we haven’t pursued an impossible dream before. The Bucs at San Diego in 2002 and an unpredicted 48-21 victory there over Oakland, a national collegiate championship at Florida in 2006. and these stunning, slick Rays of manager Joe Maddon today.