I think it's a stretch to say the article is "based" on that coincidence. The line is a throw-away.
The 3/14 thing is called a 'hook [1] - a journalistic practice to make the article relevant to today. I just thought this was unnecessary as the actual science content of the article was, to me, very interesting in its own right. Thats all really. [1] http://mediacareers.about.com/od/glossary/g/Hook.htm
It's relevant today because it is Pi Day and Einstein's birthday. That's the hook. The joke is a throwaway.