Hey Brad, curious what you think on these issues:
1) Trading Manny for Jayson Bay. (My view is that it had to be done since Manny was willing to lay down on the job, but will the Sox hold on to Bay or is he merely a two month rental?)
You’re right, they had to do the deal because Manny was on a sit down strike. He’s already at a standoff with Joe Torre in LA about cutting his dreads. It’s more than a rental for Bay because he is under control by the Sox thru the 09 season at $9 million a year which is half of what they would have had to pay Manny next year if they had picked up his option. They can use the money to go after a free agent like Adam Dunn.
2) Moving Masterson to the bullpen. (He’s pitched better than Bucholz this year and I think they should have kept him in the rotation.)
Right again. Taking Masterson out of the rotation was a big mistake. But getting Paul Byrd for the rotation was a big winner. Byrd is 4-0 with a microscopic ERA since the all star break.
3) Ellsbury. Have AL pitchers figured him out? Seems like he may have been overhyped by his hot streak last year.
Last year, pitchers did what they did with all rokkies and they threw him breaking pitches all the time. Well Ellsbury is a good breaking ball hitter so the pichers wised up and started throwing him fastballs. Ellsbury will have to adjust which he is already starting to do. He’ll be fine.
4) Varitek. Is he gone? (I hope so: it seems like the Sox timed his contract just about perfectly. Resigning him to anything more than a one year deal would be foolish). 
I agree. I love Tek but he can’t hit or throw anymore.