Variety of Sports Videos Are Coming Out

The burgeoning video market offers a wide range of titles for the sports nut who either cannot get enough sports on television or wants more exotic fare.

Now, we’re not just talking “Super Bowl Shuffle” here. The Shuffle, which the Chicago Bears danced into a national hit enroute to winning the Super bowl, was commercial puff compared with some of the other offerings.

Don’t look for these items to become Oscar material or get a spot on the Hot 100. But they do provide plenty of diversity.

Coming to a video store April 23 is “Baseball: The Pete Rose Way” from Embassy Home Entertainment. For $19.95, you can bring home a package of how to play the game from the Cincinnati Reds’ player-manager. Cheaper if you just want to rent it overnight and learn to become a superstar in 24 hours.

Can’t wait until the 24th? One week earlier, Ray (Boom Boom) Mancini comes out with his first video. Boom Boom’s entry is entitled “My Knockout Workout” and comes from USA Sports Video. The price: $29.95. Don’t care for Mancini? Wrestling videos are hot items these days, thanks to the Wrestlemanias. April 22, “Grunt, the Wrestling Movie” makes its “long-awaited” debut. Plunk down $69.95 and it’s all yours.

Already stocked on some shelves--we’re talking about high volume video dealers rather than the ones that are just interested in getting you to rent “Return of the Jedi” or “Witness”--is Mickey Mantle’s “Baseball Tips for Kids of all Ages” from CBS-Fox.

Same price as the Rose video but at least you can learn to hit the long ball, something Pete probably doesn’t have on his tape.

Speaking of the Bears, the NFL Films Video library has expanded into a 30-page offering. Each Super Bowl game can be bought.

Other intriguing titles include the 43-minute “NFL Crunch Course,” which has nothing to do with a candy bar but highlights the NFL’s “Greatest Hits.” The natural “Best of NFL Follies” is one minute longer.

There are inevitable sequels, including “The Son of Football Follies,” “A Festival of Funnies” and “The NFL Follies Go Hollywood.”

In addition to their yearly highlight films, the Dallas Cowboys offer no fewer than four specialty videos tracking the rise of “America’s Team.” You can also get “Years of Glory, Years of Pain” a 25-year history of the Buffalo Bills. It’s not surprising this video lasts 23 minutes while the Cowboys’ videos average two hours.

Don’t like the major sports? Here’s a sampling of some other offering:--The “ABCs of Basic Dressage. How to get ready for the Olympics.” Price: $59.95

--”Anatomy of a Trout Stream.” Understand the basics of your favorite fishing hole. Price: $79.95.

--”Archery Hunting Tactics for Deer.’ Features Chuck Adams. Price: $39.95.

--”Tee-off Pro Golf Series, Volume X. After the Driving Range . . . then What.” Bob Kesler shows how to get a starting time and how to keep score. Price: $39.95.

--”Swim Baby Swim: Esther Williams.” Williams’ five step program to teach your toddler to swim. Price: $39.95.

--”Field and Steam, Bull-s-Eye Archery.” Olympian Dwight Nyquist on the art of bow and arrow. Price: $29.95.