Just admit it, Cramer. You're a Rule Breaker at heart.
I realize CNBC rock star and TheStreet.com (NASDAQ:TSCM) frontman Jim Cramer claims he's not a big fan of The Motley Fool. Did he really belt out "wrong answer" and hang up on a Mad Money caller a few weeks ago, after the caller asked for Cramer's take on a Motley Fool stock recommendation?
The venom flows both ways. We haven't exactly been kind to the guy. We ragged on him when the frenetic trading calls he's pitched on his show landed him at the bottom of the Motley Fool CAPS stock-tracking pool. I took him to task a year ago for the opportunity costs missed by zigzagging in and out of Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG).
Maybe it's time for an olive branch.
For starters, Cramer's CAPS score has improved dramatically in recent weeks. More importantly, it sure feels as if many of his latest stock picks are harmonious with the growth stocks being singled out in the Motley Fool Rule Breakers newsletter service.
Truthiness in advertising
When Cramer appeared on The Colbert Report earlier this week, Stephen Colbert ultimately pressed the goateed one to single out the one stock that will make everyone rich.
Cramer's pick? Rule Breakers recommendation NYSE Group (NYSE:NYX).
I can't fault the logic. He likes the stock here -- above the $100 mark -- and the legendary exchange is on a roll. The funny thing about that, though, is that Rule Breakers subscribers got in nearly two years ago, at $20.42 a pop.
The five-bagger was possible because David Gardner recommended Archipelago Holdings to followers of his growth-stock service in the February 2005 issue at that price. NYSE eventually merged with Archipelago in a shrewd move, allowing it to go public while also cashing in on the fast-growing ArcaEx electronic trading platform.
You probably know where the old Rick would have gone with this. I would have suggested following up Cramer's new book -- Watch TV, Get Rich -- with our own Read Us, Get Richer. (We do have the same publisher.)
Not today, though. The peace pipe is real. I just want the baron of the boo-yahs to realize how in tune he is with what's going down in Rule Breaker Land, and to stamp his passport for good measure.
A history of violins
Back in October, Cramer devoted a few shows to singling out a few public companies that Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) should acquire in an effort to jump-start its moribund ways. Wouldn't you know it? Two of the five picks were active Motley Fool newsletter selections.
One of them was The Knot (NASDAQ:KNOT). The stock has soared 144% higher since I singled it out a year ago in Rule Breakers. The online wedding planning site has done a masterful job of cashing in on nervous brides-to-be at their most vulnerable open-pocketbook moment. Beyond setting up online bridal registries and generating leads for banquet halls and wedding singers, the company has widened its reach in the courtship cycle by rolling out online dating sites and newlywed content.
Would The Knot look good as a blushing bride on Yahoo!'s arm? You bet, but it's also a killer company as a swinging single. The reasons why Cramer wanted The Knot to be on the search-engine giant's shopping list aren't all that different from the traits that won me over several months earlier.
If Cramer were to look over the scorecard with our 39 active recommendations, I bet you he would be more likely to nod along than nod off.
Will we agree to disagree on patience? Of course. His high-flying show finds Cramer darting in and out of promising companies like a game of Frogger on speed. It can be a commission-churning nightmare.
However, when he finds himself on the national Comedy Central stage and decides to bypass tens of thousands of publicly traded tickers to settle on one of our newsletter's greatest success stories, we can't be all that far apart.
We accept him. We accept him. One of us. One of us.
We're all freaks, my friend.
And that's tonight's word.
The Knot, NYSE Group, and Intuitive Surgical have all been market-stomping recommendations in the Motley Fool Rule Breakers newsletter service. Want to learn more to see if you're a Rule Breaker, too? Give it a spin with a free 30-day pass to see if growth investing is right for you.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz believes in taking chances to earn superior returns. He also enjoyed reading Cramer's first book. He does not own shares of any company mentioned. Yahoo! is a Stock Advisor pick. The Fool has a disclosure policy.
