The football stumps were trees that were cut down to carve out the goalposts which clearly show the father is lying since he said he went to a basketball game not the football game where the boys beat the guards and Dustin Hoffmann should have asked him the question before Brad Pitt entered the tickets into evidence. See it was all a setup because the real killers were King Benny's thugs. The boys just imagined they killed Sean Noaks, due to the trama of their ordeal. I thought that was really clear in this movie.

Right on, jaystarstar, the trial was Michael's, Brad Pitt's character, ultimate goal to get even with the correction guards by exposing them.

Michael and Shakes knew full well that John and Tommy were street criminals, murderers, and would probably go down sooner or later for committing some crime that was out of their control.
All they wanted to do was to get payback on the Wilkinson's guards. With Nokes they got it when John and Tommy smoked him, Addison got whacked by Little Caesar's hit crew, Styler got sent to jail, Ferguson was discredited and ruined and probably sent to jail.
Once that was done it was up to all of them to go on and live their lives. John and Tommy dying at age 29 by violent means was not exactly surprising.

4. You ever seen Superman $#$# his pants? Case closed.

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King Benny got the stubs he had connections with guys in ticket offices and he could probably get stubs from any game he wanted. So he had one of his boys pass the envelope to Fat Mancho at the party store who slipped it to Hoffman, who had a guy HE know leave them in the church for Father Bobby to pick up.
The stubs were a complete shock to Michael. He didn't know they were coming. He thought it would be enough that Father Bobby testified at all he didn't figure he would have actual physical evidence to support his story.
But it also means Father Bobby's lying is a little more intentional and planned-out than simply lying about the basketball game.

4. You ever seen Superman $#$# his pants? Case closed.

A priest said that they were with him and the stubs showed some proof that they were there, as did him talking about the game. To most people that is more than enough to create reasonable doubt let alone considering child molesters. There is no requirement for absolute proof on the part of the defense in murder/criminal trials.

You thought this so important that you had to write an actual whole post about it? You must be American, right? Because you certainly are stupid

You thought this so important to note that you click reply, go back and click reply another 2 times so that your comment shows up 3 times?

Showtime - i am glad some one actually watched the movie - great attention to detail my man.

Showtime - i am glad some one actually watched the movie - great attention to detail my man.

I'm surprised no one noticed that he got the tickets from the fat shop owner, he was given an envelope (the ticket stubs) along with the cigarettes and change from the store. He probably did not even go to the game.

You weren't paying attention, were you? First, they were basketball stubs. He just perjured himself saying he, a priest, John and Tommy were at the Knicks game at the time the murders were committed, thus giving them the alibi that got them acquitted.
This will be the high point of my day; it's all downhill from here.

Well it's not a lot to ask is it? It was basketball, and they are ticket stubs. Since you jumped to football I just assumed you were from Europe, and therefore most likely stupid.

Defendents don't have to take the stand.

I think Brad Pitt is too shocked by the stubs' appearance - his case, damaged by the disastrous character witness, had been destroyed just as he was twisting the knife in De Niro. He's visibly stunned and I think at that point, he realises that the defendants he had always assumed were guilty are actually innocent.
(At least, this is how it appears to the jury!)

Something that always bothered me about this was that if I had been on that jury, I certainly would have wondered what was up with Brad Pitt not saying something at the very least like "you could have gone with any other two people" or something like that.

Mooreiswar, that's what my grandfather said back then.Of course, the two could have said they just don't remember, they don't care about basketball, and they just went because Father Bobby had bought the tickets, and they didn't want to embarass him.
But I think it was all a question of psychology. Brad Pitt directed the attention of the jury away from the fact that ticket stubs don't really count as evidence. Father Bobby could have been to the game with two other people or gotten the tickets by other means. He pretended to corner Father Bobby with the fact that he didn't have any proof that he purchased the ticketsbut then Father Bobby shows them, and admit it, you were impressed when you saw the movie for the first time. And unlike the jury, we knew that the whole thing was a scam.

surely they would have expected Brad pitts character to cross examine the two defendants about this , what seats they were sitting, who scored etc

whoa, sorry for the major errors guys i'll be more careful in the future.

I believe they were basketball tickets, not football tickets.

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That would be "STUB".
This will be the high point of my day; it's all downhill from here.

There's only one 'B' - it is 'stub'.
Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right.