Street festival gears up fans for Opening Night

HOUSTON -- Fans wearing the Astros' new blue and orange colors sipped on cold drinks, played games and enjoyed live music along Crawford Street outside Minute Maid Park on Sunday afternoon as part of the team's 12th annual Opening Day Street Festival.

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, manager Bo Porter, bench coach Eduardo Perez and pitchers Philip Humber and Lucas Harrell addressed the crowd about the 2013 season.

"I'm extremely excited about the spring," Porter said. "You have to credit the entire staff and the guys on the stage and the rest back in the locker room for working very hard. They put together a good program that has them prepared for Opening Night, and we're excited to share it with the fans of Houston."

Luhnow reminded the fans of the historical significance of Sunday's game, which opened the Astros' first season in the American League after 51 years in the Senior Circuit.

"You all are participating in something pretty special," he said. "Tonight is an historic event. The Houston Astros and Colt .45s were in the National League for [51] years. We managed to get to the World Series once but didn't win it. We left some unfinished business in the National League, but as Bo said, that's behind us. We're looking forward. We're entering the American League and we're going to win a championship in the American League. We're going to win more than one championship in the American League."