Wild owner selling majority share to ex-Predators owner Leipold

PAUL, Minn. -- Craig Leipold emerged as the new chairman of the Minnesota Wild, promising not to "mess with" one of the NHL's model franchises.

The Wild announced Thursday that Bob Naegele's majority stake in the team will be bought by Leipold, the Wisconsin entrepreneur and former Nashville Predators owner.

"I'm not here to fix anything," Leipold said at a news conference to discuss the sale.

Naegele and his group of investors formed Minnesota Sports and Entertainment in 1997 when they were awarded the rights to an expansion franchise that entered the league in 2000. The Wild have announced a sellout for every game they've ever played at their downtown St. Paul arena.

"This is a genuinely incredible moment for me," Leipold said.

Vice chairman Jac Sperling declined to reveal the purchase price, but said the deal is expected to close over the next few months pending approvals by the city and the league.


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Catalytic converters stolen from dealership cars

Thieves stole catalytic converters from six cars at the Mountaineer Hyundai dealership on Robert C. Byrd Drive in Beckley, State Police said. The thefts occurred sometime between 6 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday, Senior Trooper R.A. Daniel said.Two of the converters were stolen from 2007 cars, while the other four were stolen from 2008 cars. The approximate value of the converters, with replacement costs and damage to the vehicles' exhaust systems, is $900 per vehicle, Daniel said. The owners of Mountaineer Hyundai are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the theft. Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to call Daniel at 256-6700 or Crime Stoppers at 255-7867. — Bill Billeter

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LeBron James' cars tucked in corner at auto show

It's easy to miss the cars owned by LeBron James at the 2008 Cleveland Auto Show.

The cars are tucked into the southwest corner of the International Exposition Center with no signs or banners telling people James owns them.

But small details on the two white luxury cars hint at their superstar owner.

The license plate of the $410,000 Maybach 57S says KNG OF OH.

The plate on the other car - a $161,000 Mercedes S63 - reads KNG OF AK, a salute to the Cavaliers star's hometown of Akron.

The back of the Mercedes reads L23 - matching James' jersey number - instead of S63.

To end any doubt, a New York Yankees cap came into view when North Olmsted Performance manager James Shields popped the trunk of the Maybach.

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