By RANDY GONZALES

rgonzales@dailynews.net

As Kyle Ermoian might say, it's root, root for the pastor come Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Ermoian, who has been the pastor at Celebration Community Church for the past 11 years, is a lifelong Cubs fan. He will be in Chicago Friday to sing "Take Me out to the Ball Game" as part of a nation-wide contest sponsored by Nestle Baby Ruth.

The winner of the the contest for the Cubs will sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch of the Cubs' home game against the Houston Astros on Labor Day.

The Cubs winnowed out entrants by having fans write, in 100 words or less, why they should be the one to sing the song, which is 100 years old.

Ermoian, who was born in 1951 six blocks from Wrigley Field, sent in his essay and three days later received an e-mail from the Cubs saying he was invited to Chicago for a tryout.

Contestants will be vidotaped while singing, and the top 10 finalists will have their videos posted on the team's Web site, allowing fans to vote for the winner.

Ermoian, as optimistic as Cubs great Ernie Banks -- his favorite all-time player -- feels good about his chances of making the finals.

"Being the eternal optimist I am, I anticipate being in the top 10," Ermoian said. "I call upon the readers of The Hays Daily News to vote online."

Growing up on the North Side, Ermoian went to about a half-dozen Cubs games a year, and watched the rest on WGN, which at the time telecast all Cubs' games. His father was a Budwesier distributor, and Wrigley Field was part of his territory. As a result, Ermoian, experienced the thrill of standing on Wrigley Field as a kid.

"I was able to go down to the field from time to time," Ermoian said.

Ermoian's love of the Cubs remained with him when he moved to Los Angeles after college, and for 20 years he would attend games all decked out in Cubs gear when his beloved Cubbies were in town.

Ermoian moved to Hays in 1993, and now goes see the Cubs play when they are in Denver against the Rockies. When he remarried in 2002, he and his bride Debbie journeyed to Chicago for a wedding reception in the grandstands at Wrigley Field.

Now, he gets the chance to belt out the song made famous by the late Harry Caray. Caray, the longtime Cubs broadcaster who died in 1998, sang the song during the seventh-inning stretch of Cubs home games. After his death, the team carried on the tradition, using guest conductors. Most notably among the all-time bad renditions have been the mumblings of singer Ozzy Osbourne and the off-key version by NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon.

Ermoian isn't sure how to sing his version of the song. Does he use a gimmick, or just belt it out?

"Hopefully, I can carry a tune in a bucket," Ermoian said.

If he does win, Ermoian knows what the first words will be out of his mouth.

"First thing I'm going to say is 'Hello, Hays, Kan.,' " Ermoian said. "The people of Hays helped me get there."