1997 Ford F-150 Alignment or ball joints

I had excess wear on the outide of the passenger tire (two complete rows) and slight wear on the outside of the driver side tire (one half row). I took it to get aligned twice, but both times the tire wore about the same. One mechanic did the work. He used a tool he said was like a level. I guess that meant it was an old type and not the electronic alignments I see advertised. I took it to a second mechanic this time for a second opinion. He said that I should get new tires first since he did not believe he could align the front truck wheels properly without them. He came back into the customer waiting area and said he would check to see if other work was needed so I would not be surprised and waste time getting an unnecessary alignment. He put the 1997 Ford F-150 work truck seven foot in the air on a lift. The tires were completely hanging off the ground. He put a long crowbar on the lift and the middle near the ball joints. He (second opinion) lifted the left rod from the bottom and showed me how the joints were separating and moving. He said they had too much play. He said I needed upper and lower ball joints on both sides for $900 then an alignment. Does the way the alignment was done sound proper and was the method to check worn ball joints performed correctly? If not, why not? Thank you for your answer.