NEW YORK (AP) – Dennis Miller recalled Internet polls during his stint on "Monday Night Football" in which half the respondents loved him and the other half hated him.

"I'll always be a bit of niche guy," he said, with no apologies.

The comedian is venturing back into sports television, a pairing that evokes memories of his much-talked-about two-year run in the football broadcast booth. "Sports Unfiltered with Dennis Miller'', a talk show on Versus, which made its debut last night. "Some people want Jim Rome," he said of the combative sports talk show host. "Some people want me."

In 2000, ABC hired Miller in hopes that his trademark obscure pop culture references would boost ratings. The experience didn't dampen his passion for sports – he figures he's one of the few people who have read every edition of Bill James' "Baseball Abstract" statistical analysis books. Nor did it dull his interest in working in sports television.