The Motley Fool: The Boring Portfolio

(ANN ARBOR, Mar 29) -- Well, the team made it up from spring training today, but our Opening Day pitcher somehow missed the bus. Greg Markus was last seen south of the Borders, sitting under a Green Tree, enjoying a Prime rib.

I'll take it easy on you all today since I kinda feel like a bewildered kid who's been plucked out of the crowd and shoved toward the mound. The catcher's showing me a bunch of fingers, but he might as well have aggravated arthritis, 'cause I have no idea what he's asking for. I'll just nod, wind up, throw one out over the plate, and hope we don't get hit too hard...

Oof. That pitch that just landed in the waterfall in left-center was LCS Industries. LCSI slumped more than one point for the second straight day. No news. No press releases. Not even a piece of junk-mail. Five days after we started working with LCSI, we've still yet to get it over the plate for a strike.

Thankfully, LCSI was our only gopher ball today. Oh sure, we took our nicks (TXI -1/8), but we blooped in a few Texas Leaguers of our own (GNT +1/4, PMSI +1/4). Unfortunately, we just couldn't get a rally going.

But that's alright. That's the kind of team we have. Not a lot of home run hitters in this bunch. The companies in the Boring Portfolio aren't the Griffey Juniors and Frank Thomases that they've got over there in the Fool Portfolio. Ours are strong, sturdy, unspectacular players. And while you might not get many moon shots out of us, we can turn two, take the extra base, and squeeze in the go-ahead run. We're a productive lot.

We may have lost the day, but in a season that lasts as long as this one, we can afford to.

TODAY'S NUMBERS

BGP --- ...GNT +   1/4 ...LRCX --- 
...LCSI -1  1/2 ...PMSI +   1/4 ...TXI -   1/8 ...


                   Day   Month    Year  History
        BORING   -0.33%   0.46%  -1.54%  -1.54%
        S&P 500  -0.53%   0.79%   3.84%   3.84%
        NASDAQ   +0.60%   0.12%   5.80%   5.80%


    Rec'd  #   Security     In At       Now    Change

   3/8/96 400 Prime Medic    10.07     12.75    26.61%
  2/28/96 200 Borders Gro    22.51     28.50    26.61%
  1/29/96 100 Texas Indus    54.52     63.63    16.69%
   2/2/96 200 Green Tree     30.39     34.38    13.12%
  3/25/96 200 LCS Industr    26.14     23.00   -12.01%
  2/23/96 100 Lam Researc    48.02     34.75   -27.63%

    Rec'd  #   Security      Cost     Value    Change
  2/28/96 200 Borders Gro  4502.49   5700.00  $1197.51
   2/2/96 200 Green Tree   6077.49   6875.00   $797.51
  3/25/96 200 LCS Industr  5227.49   4600.00  -$627.49
  2/23/96 100 Lam Researc  4802.49   3475.00 -$1327.49
   3/8/96 400 Prime Medic  4027.49   5100.00  $1072.51
  1/29/96 100 Texas Indus  5449.99   6362.50   $912.51

                             CASH  $17117.60
                            TOTAL  $49230.10