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"I read once that if the Earth were the size of a cue ball, it would be smoother."

Me too, and I'm suspicious. Earth is about 8000 miles in diameter, and the extreme elevations are about 6 miles above and below the nominal (sea) level. That's a +/-0.075% deviation. Apply that to a 2.25" diameter billiard ball, and you get a deviation of +/-1.7 thousands of an inch on the cue ball. If Everest had a 12 mile cliff next to the Mariannas trench, that would be a little less than the thickness of a sheet of copy paper.

I suppose that with extreme elevation changes being relatively gradual (a half-mile cliff being very unusual, and a mile-high cliff being unheard of), the ball-sized earth probably would feel as smooth, and have a surface deviation characteristics smoother than the ball.

If Everest had a 12 mile cliff next to the Mariannas trench, that would be a little less than the thickness of a sheet of copy paper.

Working very roughly off of my freefall tables that's what, about six minutes of air, from a base jump?!!