Know Your Marginal Sports Hosts ...

Yes, we saw Stephen A. Smith on "The Late Show With David Letterman" last night, and we have only one question: If hosting a low-rated talk show is enough to get you onto Letterman, then how come we haven't seen Tony Danza there more often? How about Geraldo?

In all, though, we have to admit it wasn't a bad appearance by the "Quite Frankly" host. He unrolled some trademark "attitude," predicted, safely, that the Colts would win the Super Bowl and riffed a bit on Terrell Owens. Overall, he pretty much played not to lose.

Let's check our scorecard: Annoying Habit: Kept adjusting his tie. Appearance: Dapper, although the suit jacket reminded us of any movie in which John Carradine appears as the undertaker. Uncomfortable Moment: Dave tries to get a word in edgewise during Smith's T.O. spiel, and fails. Best Exchange: Smith: "Now, was that controversial?" Dave: "No. It was wrong, but it wasn't controversial." Apropos Of Nothing: Letterman monologue joke from Monday: "Dick Cheney made a surprise visit to the troops in Iraq over the weekend. You know what they call him over in the Middle East: Lawrence of Arrhythmia."

No word yet as to how many bodyguards Smith brought with him.

Late Show With David Letterman [CBS.com]