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The 2015 Astros FanFest was a resounding success, welcoming about 6,000 people. On January 24 visitors enjoyed various ways of feeding their fandom, from on-field activities to the star-studded Fan Forums.
As a hardcore fan/writer fortunate enough to have attended the Fest, I snapped the following nine photos (hey, what a baseball coincidence) while there. Here they are with captions. Enjoy.
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Minute Maid Park takes in the day's brilliant sun.
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Fans line up for player autographs.
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A small herd of Chick-Fil-A cows enjoys the festivities on the concourse.
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The view from the Crawfish Crawford Boxes.
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New manager A.J. Hinch (left) and general manager Jeff Luhnow answer audience questions at the Fan Forums.
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Jose Altuve (left), Dallas Keuchel (center), and Keuchel's beard (center, foreground) enjoy a conversation with longtime Astros TV broadcaster Bill Brown.
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Carlos Correa (far left) responds to a question from Astros radio commentator Steve Sparks (far right). Prospects Colin Moran (second to left), Mark Appel (center), and Preston Tucker (second to right) listen on.
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Hall of Famer Craig Biggio answers audience questions, one of which was, "Who was your craziest teammate?" "Jose Lima," he said.
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Writer Joe Thompson (left) and Vice Chair Michael McCroskey promote the Houston/Larry Dierker Chapter of the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR), accepting membership applications and selling copies of Houston Baseball: The Early Years 1861-1961, for which Thompson co-wrote a chapter. The book can be purchased at houstonbaseball.org. You can also join the Houston/Larry Dierker Chapter of SABR at sabrhouston.com, where you get to hear Dierker's familiar voice.