Minor Adjustments

Depending on interpretation, the 76ers are either delusional or extremely resilient. One thing that can't be debated at this point in the season is that the Sixers aren't a very good team. And the immediate future isn't looking too bright. The Sixers (14-23) have lost six in a row and seven of the last eight games. After squandering an 18-point, first-quarter lead in Friday's 100-97 loss to the visiting Chicago Bulls, the Sixers talked about staying together, continuing to fight, and refusing to allow the losing to beat them down.

The Township Committee voted 4-0 with one abstention last night to recommend that $300,000 be cut from the school district's $25 million budget that was rejected last month by voters. The original budget called for an increase from $1.14 to $1.20 per $100 of assessed value. With the proposed $300,000 cut, however, residents would see an increase to about $1.18, meaning that the owner of a home assessed at the township average of $106,000 will pay about $1,250, an increase of $42. "There were a number of cuts which will not reflect a deterioration of the school system," Mayor David P. Shields said.

Last season's Catholic League Southern Division softball champions have looked like anything but in the early going of this year's nonleague schedule. In fact, Cardinal O'Hara has looked more like a team that does not know a softball glove from a mitten. But head coach Barbara Loughery says not to worry, noting that this is, after all, the preseason. The Lions' first league contest is Wednesday, when they play Archbishop Carroll. "I'm not taking the games seriously until the league starts.

After tinkering with earlier versions of the maps, the state reapportionment commission yesterday gave final approval to a plan dividing Pennsylvania into new legislative districts. The plan moves four House seats from areas that are losing population to growing sections of Bucks, Lancaster, York and Monroe Counties. To make room for the new districts, three seats will be eliminated in and around Pittsburgh, and the fourth will be erased in Northeast Philadelphia. Members of the Legislative Reapportionment Commission unanimously approved the plan, which makes 55 changes to the House districts and 15 changes to the Senate districts which were laid out Sept.

Since the reign of the English King Henry VII in the late 1400s, the Latin words habeas corpus have protected citizens from illegal imprisonment. Through three centuries of war and upheaval, writs of habeas corpus - demands by courts that jailers produce their prisoners so that the legality of their detention can be checked - have protected individuals. The delegates to the Federal Convention yesterday voted to continue that tradition in the United States. The vote came during the discussion of the proposed constitution's Article 11, which deals with matters of the judiciary and trials.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Due to the unique circumstances of your recent years, you have information to impart. You'll make an impression on all. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You could talk yourself into someone's approval or affection. The trick is in knowing when you've arrived. Then stop talking. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Your plan will take time to execute, and it will take even more time if you don't have the money to do it right. A fund-raising effort will be necessary. CANCER (June 22-July 22)

If you want to sell T-shirts at the Penn Relays, or hot dogs, pretzels or balloons, you'll have to deal with a certain former state senator, one-time Traffic Court budget officer, and colorful street vendor in his own right. For the second straight year, the city has given Milton Street, brother of City Council president John Street, the exclusive right to sell street-vending spots at the Penn Relays. Street pays the city $5,000 for the right to manage street vending at the three-day event, city Licenses and Inspections Commissioner Fran Egan said.

  IN THE NFL, no team plans to lose. Sunday's loss to the Chargers was tough. After starting off slow and battling back in the second half, I feel as an offense we ran out of time and didn't get the job done. Our job as a team is to execute, and we came up short. There are no excuses for that. Reporters and fans have been asking if the recent wave of injuries has hurt our team, and I say no. As players at this level, we have to be and are ready to step up and play as well, if not better, than the starters.

The Eagles and Bears reportedly contested an exceedingly important playoff game yesterday at Soldier Field, but as to the key plays and star performers, most fans hadn't the foggiest. What the fans did see, in the Bears' 20-12 victory that wrote a gloomy finish to the Eagles' season, was a pea-soup fog that drifted in off Lake Michigan with about two minutes left in the first half. Eerily, within a matter of minutes, the fog quickly reduced visibility to about 10 yards and produced the most bizarre NFL contest in memory.

In the cacophony of the Toronto Blue Jays' clubhouse, John Olerud is a fjord of Norwegian calm. He is a high-impact player with a low-intensity personality, an agreeable combination in an era when many athletes in other sports combine the opposite traits. When he was elected to play on last year's All-Star team, he was asked if he would be nervous. "Yes," he said. He was asked how it would show. "It won't," he said. He is as angular and unprepossessing as the young Jimmy Stewart and as laconic as the young Henry Fonda.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Due to the unique circumstances of your recent years, you have information to impart. You'll make an impression on all. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You could talk yourself into someone's approval or affection. The trick is in knowing when you've arrived. Then stop talking. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Your plan will take time to execute, and it will take even more time if you don't have the money to do it right. A fund-raising effort will be necessary. CANCER (June 22-July 22)

  IN THE NFL, no team plans to lose. Sunday's loss to the Chargers was tough. After starting off slow and battling back in the second half, I feel as an offense we ran out of time and didn't get the job done. Our job as a team is to execute, and we came up short. There are no excuses for that. Reporters and fans have been asking if the recent wave of injuries has hurt our team, and I say no. As players at this level, we have to be and are ready to step up and play as well, if not better, than the starters.

Depending on interpretation, the 76ers are either delusional or extremely resilient. One thing that can't be debated at this point in the season is that the Sixers aren't a very good team. And the immediate future isn't looking too bright. The Sixers (14-23) have lost six in a row and seven of the last eight games. After squandering an 18-point, first-quarter lead in Friday's 100-97 loss to the visiting Chicago Bulls, the Sixers talked about staying together, continuing to fight, and refusing to allow the losing to beat them down.

Philadelphia City Council tweaked the smoking ban yesterday, widening one loophole for neighborhood bars but closing another that permitted smoking at outdoor cafes and restaurants. If signed by Mayor Street, the bill also would have the odd effect of sending smokers a little holiday gift: re-legalizing smoking in all bars and eateries until Jan. 8, when it is scheduled to take effect. The adjustments have been in the works since June, when Councilman Frank DiCicco helped win the votes needed for the original ban by introducing a companion bill that would make the exemption for neighborhood bars permanent.

Despite compiling a 7.15 ERA and allowing opponents to hit .294 in his first stint with the Phillies this year, reliever Jose Santiago remains in the club's plans, manager Larry Bowa said. "You look at his track record and he's very durable," Bowa said before the Phils opened an 11-game homestand against the New York Mets last night. "He just had an off-year this year. That's all. " Santiago, 27, was demoted to triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 7. Scranton pitching coach Mike Mason discovered a flaw in Santiago's delivery and also helped him develop a splitter.

After tinkering with earlier versions of the maps, the state reapportionment commission yesterday gave final approval to a plan dividing Pennsylvania into new legislative districts. The plan moves four House seats from areas that are losing population to growing sections of Bucks, Lancaster, York and Monroe Counties. To make room for the new districts, three seats will be eliminated in and around Pittsburgh, and the fourth will be erased in Northeast Philadelphia. Members of the Legislative Reapportionment Commission unanimously approved the plan, which makes 55 changes to the House districts and 15 changes to the Senate districts which were laid out Sept.

If you want to sell T-shirts at the Penn Relays, or hot dogs, pretzels or balloons, you'll have to deal with a certain former state senator, one-time Traffic Court budget officer, and colorful street vendor in his own right. For the second straight year, the city has given Milton Street, brother of City Council president John Street, the exclusive right to sell street-vending spots at the Penn Relays. Street pays the city $5,000 for the right to manage street vending at the three-day event, city Licenses and Inspections Commissioner Fran Egan said.

The Colombian folk dancers are so thrilled to get into tomorrow's Mummers Parade, they're tearing their costumes apart. Margarita Vera, director of Estampas Colombianas, says the stunningly colorful ruffled skirts and other outfits simply aren't designed for cold weather. So she's spent the last few weeks - each night after leaving her job as a city social worker - re-sewing the costumes over sweatshirts and sweatpants. Estampas Colombianas is a rare Hispanic entry in the New Year's parade that has long been associated with white males.

The Township Committee voted 4-0 with one abstention last night to recommend that $300,000 be cut from the school district's $25 million budget that was rejected last month by voters. The original budget called for an increase from $1.14 to $1.20 per $100 of assessed value. With the proposed $300,000 cut, however, residents would see an increase to about $1.18, meaning that the owner of a home assessed at the township average of $106,000 will pay about $1,250, an increase of $42. "There were a number of cuts which will not reflect a deterioration of the school system," Mayor David P. Shields said.

Giants centerfielder Darren Lewis, the first batter, tripled just inside first base. Steve Scarsone, the second batter, ripped a ground-rule double. Barry Bonds, the third batter, slammed an RBI single. Matt Williams, the fourth batter, hit a line drive at Milt Thompson in center. The lights over the big, concrete doughnut at the corner of Broad and Pattison hadn't begun to take hold yet, but it would have been easy to draw a couple of quick conclusions right then and there.