The position of Borough President used to be powerful in city government. Now with a charter change and a string of powerful mayors, they've been reduced to borough cheerleaders.

And no one "beep" is more a cheerleader than Brooklyn's Marty Markowitz. Markowitz, credited with lobbying Bruce Ratner to buy the Nets and bring them to Brooklyn, issued a statement Thursday to rally the troops against the "Manhattan Knicks."

"No doubt the arena will be filled to the ‘rim’ with Nets fans and their Brooklyn swagger drowning out the desperate cheers of the few Knicks faithful brave enough to venture into enemy territory," said the hyperbolic beep. "You know who I’ll be rooting for, so move over Knicks—you may have a ‘Kidd’ but now you have to play the big boys!"

• Brooklyn President on season opener: "Brooklyn swagger will drown out the desperate Knicks fans" - Stefan Bondy - The InterNets