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It has been 174 days since the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Ben Simmons with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.Simmons donned the 76ers uniform during Summer League, but he is yet to see any playing time during the regular season after suffering a fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his right foot on the final day of training camp.Philadelphia coach Brett Brown has previously stated there is no timetable for Simmons return, but he was optimistic the star would be available in January. Today, during Philadelphias practice, Simmons appeared on the floor, free of the moon boot and shot free throws.?That is significant, Brett Brown stated with matter-of-fact emphasis.Sixers fans worldwide refuse to get ahead of themselves with excitement, but Brown believes things are finally heading in the right direction for Simmons.?He walked out on the court in sneakers and he shot free throws, Brown said. So, that is significant to me. Youre like, I got yah. Here we go.Since beginning rehab a little over two months ago, Simmons and Brown have been conducting one-on-one tutoring sessions to develop his on-court game.We took him through, Here, you got the ball, youre the point guard, said Brown. What do you see? What do you do? What do I call this? What are the reads? What can he do?On Tuesday, Brown put Simmons through his first exam.We went through that for a half an hour [Tuesday] morning.From a non-medical standpoint and just his coach, the evolution that he and I have been able to have in a classroom and on a court, in talking things through over the past few months, is fantastic.The 76ers have been in this situation before, with a previous high draft pick limited to the moon boot and enduring endless rehab. Joel Embiid knows the heartaches and struggles that you go through during rehab, and he understands that shooting free throws without the boot means a lot to the individual.Definitely, he said Tuesday. I asked [Simmons] the first thing when I saw it, I was like, How do you feel? You could see that smile on his face.Embiid missed two seasons before finally making it onto the NBA floor, and he is now soaking up the limelight. After seeing Simmons on the practice floor, Embiid was optimistic about a potential return.Now, you can get back on the court, you can start doing more stuff, you can start shooting. It just frees you up, and Im sure hes happy about it.I got better. Im sure hes going to get better, too.Brown is not getting ahead of himself.Were all going to be just extremely careful; everybody needs to hear that, and we know that. Were going to be extremely careful with how his progression into the team goes.No matter how you look at it, Simmons is edging closer to his first professional game of basketball and all signs are pointing up. Cheap Superstars Ireland . 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BOSTON -- David Ortiz has knocked plenty of teams out of the playoffs with his late-inning heroics.This time he is hurting the Toronto Blue Jays chances of making it there.The soon-to-retire Red Sox slugger opened his final weekend with yet another game-winning homer on Friday night, lining a two-run shot into the right-field stands to break a seventh-inning tie and help Boston beat Toronto 5-3.The Blue Jays fell one game behind Baltimore in the wild-card race and are now within range of Detroit and Seattle in the fight for the ALs final postseason berth.We needed it. We need every game, said Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada, who lasted five innings but left with a 3-1- lead. Were still in it. Were right there.Devon Travis had three hits, including a pair of doubles, and Jose Batista homered for Toronto. But the Blue Jays blew the lead in the seventh.Andrew Benintendi led with a double and Dustin Pedroia dribbled one to the third base side. Catcher Russell Martins throw went past first baseman Justin Smoak; the ball got trapped under the tarp down the right-field line and time was called.Benintendi took off for third, and Pedroia scrambled back to first. Toronto manager John Gibbons came out to argue, but things got worse when the umpires awarded Pedroia second base; after some more arguing, Benintendi was pointed home.I picked up the ball, slick ball, turned around and threw it as quickly as I could. It just took off on me, Martin said. I wish I could take it back. I feel like thats a play I can make in my sleep but today it didnt happen.One out later, Mookie Betts singled to make it 3-3, and then Brett Cecil came in to face Ortiz. The crowd, which sat through a 25-minute rain delay to see him, rose to its feet chanting Papi!After working the count to 2-1, Ortiz lined the ball past the Pesky Pole to send Fenway into one more frenzy. The chants waned slightly before Ortiz popped out of the dugout for a curtain call.Ive seen it for 10 years: Every time theres a big situation, hes alwaays found a way to come through, said Pedroia, who had three hits and reached 201 for the season.dddddddddddd Were going to enjoy it, because its pretty special.With his image mowed into the grass in center for the final regular-season series of his career, Ortiz was honored in a pregame ceremony and responded with an RBI single in the first. With his 38th homer -- No. 541 of his career, Ortiz tied Ken Griffey Jr. and Rafael Palmeiro for eighth on baseballs all-time list with 1,192 extra-base hits.On a night that begins a weekend celebration, I dont know that you can write a script for what David did here tonight offensively, Red Sox manager John Farrell said. Nights like tonight he almost leaves you speechless. ... (He) turned this place upside down.Told that Farrell called it a storybook finish, Ortiz said, I wish that it is.We worked pretty hard to get here, and its working out pretty good, the 40-year-old slugger said.The Red Sox snapped a three-game losing streak and stayed a half-game ahead of Cleveland in the race for home-field advantage when their playoff series begins next week.PITCHERSBrad Ziegler (2-3) picked up the win with one inning of scoreless relief after major league wins-leader Rick Porcello failed to pick up his 23rd victory. Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth for his 31st save.Joe Biagini (4-3) allowed three runs and four hits in 1 1/3 innings.TRAINERS ROOMToronto: Estrada took an Ortiz liner off the leg in the third inning but fielded the ball and remained in the game.Boston: Farrell said knuckleballer Steven Wright would need two more bullpen sessions before facing live batters and thus was ruled out for at least the first round of the postseason.UP NEXTBlue Jays: LHP J.A. Happ (20-4) will start as Toronto tries to hold off Baltimore in the AL wild-card race.Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (3-7) will make his last regular-season start. ' ' '