The search for a new general manager has led to the selection of four finalists, and the Seattle Mariners could complete the process in time to announce their decision before the World Series begins next week.

That list of finalists is Jerry DiPoto (Diamondbacks), Kim Ng (Dodgers), Tony LaCava (Blue Jays) and Jack Zduriencik (Brewers).

All come with immense potential and solid resumes as assistant GMs, and Zduriencik (pronounced Zur-en-sik) has as intriguing a background as any.

Now 57, he was named Baseball America’s Executive of the Year in 2007 as the Brewers scouting director, and is credited by GM Doug Melvin for the drafts of Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Rickie Weeks.

A former high school football and baseball coach, Zduriencik began his scouting career with the New York Mets, and has worked with the Dodgers and Pirates before joining Milwaukee.

The second round of interviews with both president Chuck Armstrong and CEO Howard Lincoln doing the questioning, began Thursday in Seattle. If the team wants to make a hire – and an announcement – before the World Series begins, that gives them until Tuesday.

Making the hire before instead of after would give a new Mariners GM an extra 7-10 days on the job.

Some background on the other three finalists:

DiPoto, 40, has worked for Boston, Colorado and Arizona after an eight-year major league career as a relief pitcher. One of Theo Epstein’s right-hand men during Boston’s run to the World Series title in 2004, he’s been considered a GM-in-waiting since going to the Diamondbacks.

Ng (pronounced ‘ang’) is 39, and has worked for the New York Yankees, the MLB front office and the Dodgers, working her way through most departments under the control of a GM. Her expertise is in player development and handled arbitration cases for New York. She would be the first woman GM in Major League history.

LaCava, 47, has worked for the Braves, Angels, Expos and Indians before lighting in Toronto, and has a strong history in scouting. Has been a finalist in several GM searches, including last year in Pittsburgh and Baseball Prospectus has named him among the top five GM candidates in the game this year.

CEO Howard Lincoln, contrary to online reports and talk radio pronouncements, is not Satan. Neither is president Chuck Armstrong.

That will be hotly debated, but the rage aimed at two executives atop the Seattle Mariners after the teams 101-loss season is as misguided as it is futile. Lincoln and Armstrong aren’t going anywhere.

And around Major League Baseball, that’s the norm.

It’s not unfair to blame one or both for the fact that the team hasn’t been in the post-season since 2001. Fans in every big-league city feel the same way about their club when disappointed.

No one said much about Lincoln and Armstrong when the team won 116 games in ’01. That, too, is the nature of sports.

But as Lincoln and Armstrong go about the business of picking the next Mariners general manager from a field that holds great potential, there are a few things that need pointing out.

One, no candidate yet has withdrawn from the process because of anything said in Seattle.

And two? Neither Lincoln nor Armstrong is considered a laughing stock by other big-league owners.

Having hired GM Bill Bavasi wasn’t viewed by others in the game as a disaster, and what followed – though it certainly didn’t help Bavasi’s resume – kept him out of baseball for less than a month.

The theory that Lincoln and Armstrong have somehow interfered and run off Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson and Alex Rodriguez doesn’t hold water or fact. Junior remains close with Armstrong, and neither the Big Unit or A-Rod left because of management.

They left because they had grand plans that didn’t include Seattle.

Lou Piniella? Lou left because he was frustrated by not getting more hitting – something he has asked for every year of his managerial career. He wanted another bat in the spring of ’01, and he asked for more hitting in July of this year.

Lou’s never satisfied, and that’s part of what makes him such a great manager.

But Lincoln and Armstrong are hardly among the league leaders in front-office inteviention.

One of the reasons Pat Gillick left Baltimore was that owner Peter Angelos continually shot down his deals – including one that would have brought a young Vernon Wells to the Orioles for next to nothing.

George Steinbrenner ignored his GM and manager and acquired the contract of outfielder Raul Mondesi, embarrassing Brian Cashman and forcing Joe Torre to find a place to play the outfielder.

Interference from on high includes smaller decisions, like hiring coaches.

When Piniella took the job with the Cubs, one of his first hires was going to be Lee Elia. Cubs ownership told him that wasn’t an option.

No GM has full autonomy on the job, and no candidate for the opening in Seattle expected it here. No one has turned down an interview because of Armstrong or Lincoln, or because the Mariners job description turned them off.

Those in the game aren’t nearly as critical of the Mariners as their most vocal fans have been. That doesn’t mean Lincoln and Armstrong have great jobs.

It does mean neither is considered a fool or demon, a joke or a pariah.

That’s for fans and the media.