Yes, I just said that: the e sound in men and Ben is the same as the a-sound in bare or air: BEH-rull, = barrel.

Hold on a sec. This is only a Southern occurance. Y'all down there pronounce the e in men and Ben like a long a with a little more toward the i sound. That makes men and man sound very similar. And that's why Kentucky sounds like Caintuck. I would say that for the rest of us in the US, Ben and bare sound quite different.