Got this resolved and wanted to wrap up for anybody looking for help.
I wound up using a strap wrench as recommended which opened it up very easily.
The knob is comprised of two parts, a black upper section and a chrome lower section. Both are threaded and screw down the threaded stickshift. You simply turn the black section against the chrome section until its tight in the right orientation. If its not strait, turn the chrome portion down another 1/4 turn or so and keep adjusting.
