Top Amazon spokesman apologized after a tweet slamming baseball umpires as 'overweight, diabetic, half-blind geriatrics'

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Top Amazon spokesman apologized after a tweet slamming baseball umpires as 'overweight, diabetic, half-blind geriatrics'

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Jay Carney

AP

Amazon's top spokesman, Jay Carney, has apologized for attacking baseball umpires.

Amazon's top spokesman has apologized after calling Major League Baseball umpires "a bunch of overweight, diabetic, half-blind geriatrics" in a tweet. 

Carney, who is Amazon's public policy and communications chief, said Wednesday that he "went too far" in his criticism of the umpires. 

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"I went too far criticizing the @mlb umps on Twitter last night," Carney tweeted. "The call was horrendous, but my reaction was unnecessarily unkind and personal. I apologize."

Carney's apology likely referred to the searing tweet he posted Tuesday evening during Game 6 of the World Series saying: "What a disgrace for the @mlb. The entire ump crew is a bunch of overweight, diabetic, half-blind geriatrics. Bring in the machines!!"

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The "machines" he's referring to are robotic umpires. Support is growing for the use of computers during baseball games that can call strikes and reduce the possibility of human error.

In an earlier tweet on Tuesday, Carney wrote, "I know umps are human and make mistakes, but this #WorldSeries is running proof for why the game needs an electronic eye calling balls and strikes. So many appallingly bad calls."

Amazon did not immediately return a request for comment

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