Thanks for the advice everyone. I put the tranny in 2nd, and pulled up a bit and twisted back and forth and voila...came right off.
I have a 98, non-S with a 5-speed.
2001 knob slid right on and looks awesome. I am rather disappointed to see that the stock boot for the 98 is vinyl and not leather. Considering everything else in the car is covered in real leather (dash, door panels, roll bar covers, etc), why cheap out on the gearshift boot?
Now all I need is for the mud and snow to go away to I can take her out for a spin.