How is it not draining my battery when it is always running? You will have to bare with me a bit as this is my first android device. I am an ex-winmo/webos user.
Because Android isn't like Windows nor WebOS. Android is more like iOS.
(Properly designed) apps don't consume any battery when they are "idle". Android uses a notification system to wake the process up as needed.
What drains your battery (besides you using the phone) is activities like syncing. However you have control over this (Settings -> Accounts and Sync, or from within each application).
That being said I did loosely follow the tips here:
Tip-Trick: 61 hours, 24% battery remaining - Android Forums
(I installed ATK but I rarely use it now, it's not necessary. The only thing I actively kill after a reboot is Sprint apps because I never use them.)
At this point (being a former WebOs/Pre user) I would describe my battery issues as non-existent. Overnight the EVO loses nothing. I can make it through a full day no problem. The only time I charge the phone is in the car, to and from work, which is about 40 minutes each way.
(sorry, I didn't mean to derail this into a battery tips thread)
In short: unless you know the background app is poorly designed, don't worry about killing it. The OS is designed to work this way.