The Short Leash

I swear I'm not not making this up: 

In the park this afternoon, I found a dog leash, about three feet long --

-- and wondered if this is the same short leash Leyland had Rugburn on, teleported here by magic to a place where I'd find it.

In baseball jargon, the short leash is: we're hitting you second, and so you'd better not strike out three times. The long leash is Toledo. Off the leash is getting designated for assignment.