This is the greatest moment of my boxing career,"

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HOUSTON -- Right-hander Scott Feldman signed a three-year deal Friday to become the veteran presence in the Houston Astros rotation. . Feldman, who will turn 31 just before spring training begins, was 12-12 with a 3.86 ERA in 30 combined starts for the Chicago Cubs and Baltimore last season. The deal puts Feldman on a staff that includes four returning pitchers who made at least 10 starts last year and are 25 years or younger -- even after 23-year-old Jordan Lyles was traded by the Astros to Colorado earlier this week. "Everybody starts in this game young, you can really learn a lot just by watching anybody. ... I can learn from them and they can also learn from me," Feldman said. "Its just going to be great to have a group of guys that works wells and we can all get on the same page, help each other out and have a successful season." Houston is coming off a 111-loss season. The 6-foot-7 Feldman pitched in the AL West for Texas from 2005-12 before a one-year deal with the Cubs before last season. He was traded in July to the Orioles. He won 17 games for the Rangers in 2009 when he pitched a career-high 189 2-3 innings while making a career-high 31 starts. That was the only time he pitched more than his 181 2-3 combined innings last season. "Going into my free agency last year, I really just was looking for a place to go where I could just try to prove to everyone that I was capable of starting 30 games," Feldman said. "It was a big year for me. ... Just honestly, I felt like all I really needed was an opportunity, and Im glad I was able to make the most of it." Feldman, who was born in Hawaii, loved living in Texas before and his wife is from the Houston area. He was originally drafted by the Astros but didnt reach a deal then before going to college. The Rangers took him in the 30th round of the 2003 amateur draft. Feldman has made 234 career major league appearances, including 131 starts. He has a 51-56 record with a 4.62 ERA, and made nine relief appearance in the 2011 post-season when Texas went to the World Series. "We wanted an experienced starter to anchor our pitching staff," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said. "Scott is a great fit with our club. He throws strikes and gets ground balls, and will be a great example for the rest of our young rotation." . - Country singer Vince Gill and Kristen Laviolette have been appointed to positions on the Nashville Predators Foundations board of directors. .The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Tuesday because the roster move has not been announced. . The veteran right-hander went out and provided a promising flashback performance against the New York Yankees, even after another leadoff homer by Brett Gardner. The Rangers clinched their first series in a month with a 3-2 victory Wednesday night.LONDON -- Carl Froch knocked out British rival George Groves in the eighth round to retain his WBA and IBF super-middleweight titles in a rematch in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. Froch floored Groves with a huge right hook with about 30 seconds remaining in the round, with the referee immediately stopping one of most hyped fights in the countrys boxing history. He improved to 33-2, with 24 knockouts. "This is the greatest moment of my boxing career," Froch said. "Its the biggest event Ive been involved in." Groves (19-2, 15 KOs) had started slower but grew into the fight, only to be knocked down with Frochs biggest punch of the bout. "I feel like I let myself down," said Groves, who had vowed to send Froch into retirement with a victory. "Fair play, he got me with the punch." The rematch was ordered by the IBF after Frochs win in a controversial first fight in Manchester in November, when the referee stepped in too soon with Groves wobbling on his feet. This time, there were no complaints from Groves, who required treatment in his corner before going to congratulate Froch -- showing the bad blood between the pair that had dominated the build-up was over. . The rematch was not as exciting as the first fight, with both boxers more restrained and seemingly intent on lasting the full distance. Froch -- arguably Britains top boxer for the last five years -- dominated the centre of the ring but only first connected with a left hand in the third round that rocked back Groves. Frochs punches were generally ragged and he walked into some punches by Groves in the sixth and seventh rounds. The ending was conclusive, though, with Froch swinging initially with his left and following it up with a massive right that left Groves in a heap on the canvas. "It was neck and neck, there was nothing in it," said Froch, who wants to crown his career with a fight in Las Vegas. "One punch was all the difference." The fight captured the public imagination, and was considered the biggest grudge match in British boxing since the days of the Nigel Benn-Chris Eubank rivalry in the early 1990s. ' ' '