 At Sutter 's July 2006 induction to the Hall , Smith talked with reporters about his chances for election . Like many others , he commented that he was puzzled that he had not yet been selected . " This confuses the hell out of me . But I 've always been baffled by it " , he said . Smith 's candidacy may have been hampered by the number of outstanding relievers on the ballot ; Sutter had earned increasing vote totals for nine years before Smith appeared on the ballot , and Gossage — who first appeared on the ballot three years before Smith — has received greater support in each year from 2004 until his induction in 2008 . 
