'I'm not flashing you': Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona has eventful post-win ride

CLEVELAND – For a moment on his way home Friday evening, Guardians manager Terry Francona might have thought he was on Bourbon Street.

Francona was riding his scooter from Progressive Field to his apartment on East Fourth Street after the Guardians’ 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of their American League Wild Card Series.

At various stages of his 10-year tenure in Cleveland, he’s made his home in the entertainment area, the block lined with bars, restaurants and shops.

But his encounter with a female fan just outside the ballpark left enough of an impression that he mentioned it before the Guardians and Rays squared off in Game 2 Saturday afternoon. She later revealed herself on Twitter as Lacey Reichert, Amherst High School softball coach.

“It got a little interesting, a little interesting,” Francona said.

For a second, Francona thought he was being flashed.

“When I pulled out of here, there were some people that were yelling, and I mean, just truth be told, in this day and age with like cell phones and stuff, this lady's yelling at me, and she goes, you're the greatest,” Francona said.“She pulls her shirt up, and I'm like, ‘Hey, man, I don't want. ...’”

Francona said the woman’s t-shirt underneath bore a picture of him.

“But I didn't know that. I'm like, I don't want this on camera,” Francona said. “So I'm kind of going by her being not necessarily, I hope not rude, but probably not overly gracious."

After the story hit social media, Reichert responded on Twitter saying, "Yup that was me!!!!!! LOL I warned him and said I'm not flashing you but look.....LOL."

In another Twitter reply, she said, "Guilty! I did prep him by saying "I'm not flashing you but look at my T-shirt underneath! "In Tito We Trust" with his face on it," she wrote, following by three laughing emojis.

The area was so crowded with jubilant fans that the rest of the ride proved dicey for Francona.

“Then when I got to East Fourth, and it's like, I hope people understand.  I had an ice bag wrapped around my ankle because, you know, I'm trying to park and it's like chaotic," he said. "But I guess that's better than nobody being there.”

After every game, Francona wears the ice bag as he continues to recuperate from 2021 foot surgery that involved a staph infection. Experiencing a toe problem that requires orthotics, he still has difficulty walking and relies on the scooter, even in the bowels of the park.

On Friday, he was forced to slam on the brakes in the hallway outside the clubhouses when someone walked out in front of him.

“Yeah, sometimes I get going a little quick,” Francona admitted.

Francona said he can’t change his route because he had to get home. But he won’t ask for a police escort, even though he said the Cleveland Police Department officers do everything they can to help him get home quickly.

“Every policeman in town here either high-fives me or says hello, because, you know, they're always helping with the parking and stuff,” Francona said. “That's part of what I like about being here is that you can't do that anywhere else.

“I come right out that one-way alley going the wrong way and the cop lifts up the [mental fence] so I can get under it.  You can't do that everywhere.”

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians' Terry Francona thought he was flashed on scooter ride